Gone (In the Night)
by DocMcRegals
Summary: Season 2 AU Canon Divergent; Derek and Addison's already shaky marriage reaches its breaking point when their daughter goes missing. 18 months later, a little girl is brought into Seattle Grace's ER with no family and no clue of who she is. Is she Derek and Addison's daughter? And if she's not Abigail, then exactly what happened to her? Rated T to M for dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

Seattle, April 2007

Seattle Grace's ER has never been more chaotic.

It's storming out, so everyone knows to expect more traumas, but tonight is different though. Tonight, it seems like all hell decided to break loose and come rushing into the ER. Everyone's on call, whether they were on schedule to be or not and nobody's happy about it.

" _Tonight was supposed to be my night off_ ," Addison Montgomery groans as she and Miranda Bailey walk through the busy ER.

"Mine too; but you know how it is when Seattle gets hit with a rain storm; all sorts of idiotic things are bound to happen," Bailey says as both women pick up charts. Bailey rolls her eyes at the sight of her 6 interns who are aimlessly waiting for instructions.

"What the hell are you people standing around for? There are too many people whose lives need to be saved, so go save some damn lives!" Dr. Bailey shouts as her 6 interns scurry to find patients to tend to.

"You could be a little nicer to them ya know," Addison chuckles; her reading glasses are perched on the bridge of her nose as she looks over her patient for the night.

"You want me to be nicer to Meredith Grey after all the hell she's given you?" Bailey places a hand on her hip and raises an eyebrow.

"…Point taken; what've you got?" Addison tucks her hair behind her ears.

"Ruptured Spleen; easy, could do it with my eyes closed. You?"

"Woman in labor, high risk...hey Jack, you got any information on..." Addison starts though she's interrupted by the sound of her soon-to-be ex-husband's voice.

"Out of the way people, coming through!" Derek shouts as a gurney carrying a lifeless looking Preston Burke makes its way through the ER.

"Is that-"

"It's Burke," Addison says, completely shocked.

"What the hell?" Bailey's face contorts into something mixed with confusion, annoyance, and shock.

"Addison, Bailey, we need all hands on deck," The Chief says; he looks less than pleased to be in the ER. Not only is it raining, but one of his star surgeons just came into the ER on a gurney.

"I've got a high-risk mom in labor," Addison informs him with a shrug.

"Can you-"

"It's why I was called in," she says with a sigh.

"Bailey…"

"I'll pass my ruptured spleen off to another resident,"

"Good, because I'm gonna need you to assist on Burke,"

"I'm on it chief," Bailey turns to another resident informing them about her patient before following the chief down the hall.

"Keep me updated, will you?" Addison calls out to Richard who simply nods before hurrying into a trauma room. She pulls back the curtain of the trauma bay; she grabs the chart and looks it over before smiling at her patient.

"Okay Mrs. Wheeler, I'm Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd and I'll be assisting you today. Your chart says that this is a high-risk pregnancy. Based on the information I have from your doctors over at Mercy West, I'm gonna have to take the baby...can you book an OR please?" Addison says to a nurse as she begins to go over the procedures and risks with her patient; she looks up momentarily when she hears a familiar voice in the pit,

"Help! Somebody Help!"

"Joe?" Addison peaks her head out from behind the curtain to see Joe the bartender holding a small child in his arms. She's just about to react when Arizona Robbins rushes forward, taking the child from Joe.

"I've got it…Rodriguez! I could use an extra pair of arms over here!" Arizona says to first-year resident Loren Rodriguez who immediately rushes towards her.

"Jesus Christ, this night can't get any worse," Addison groans just as Nurse Olivia shouts,

"We've got another incoming!" The paramedics bring in yet another victim, a male who looks like he might not make it.

"I shouldn't have said anything; alright Mrs. Wheeler, let's get you up to surgery, shall we?" Addison gives her patient a reassuring smile before walking with the gurney up to the OR.

oOoOo

"Alright Rodriguez, what've we got?" Arizona is quickly assessing her young patient as Joe stands off to the side, his eyes intently focused on the child he'd brought in.

"Jane Doe appears to be between five and seven years old. She's got multiple abrasions, six-centimeter head lack; there's bruising and burn marks on her arms and legs. Her abdomen is distended and rigid; possible abdominal injury. Her pupils are blown, she could have a possible skull fracture." Loren tells her, though Arizona's attention is focused on Joe.

"Joe, can you tell me what happened?"

"I was coming over because I'd heard about what happened to Dr. Burke and, I found her lying out on the ground just outside of the entrance; she was barely breathing. Is she gonna be okay?" Joe says in a panic.

"She's still breathing on her own, but barely. Joe, listen to me, it's a good thing you did find her; you probably saved her life. Alright people, let's get her set up in a trauma room...I need an ET tube and some warm blankets...Joe, did you see anyone else around when you found her?" Arizona asks

"No, but-"

"Dr. Robbins, she's having a seizure!" A nurse shouts as Arizona silently curses.

"Someone get Joe out of here and have him wait to talk the to police!"

"Rodriguez, what do we do next?"

 _"_ I need some Clonazepam, now!" Loren shouts as a nurse quickly comes to her aid and administers the right dosage; it seems to help, the girl's body is no longer convulsing.

"Get her up to CT; see what's going on with her head. Do a full work up and book an OR. This kid is a mess; we may have to open her up. I want you on this case round the clock, understood?" Arizona's tone is sharp but her eyes are kind as she speaks to Loren who quickly nods.

"Hey, who was your resident before you ended up with Bailey?"

"Ingles," Loren says as Arizona makes a face.

"Ooh. Well it's a good thing she left; Bailey's one of the best residents to work under," Arizona tells her

"I heard,"

"You stand a better chance of passing your intern exams with Bailey as your resident. Anywho, keep me updated on her; I'll probably send Alex Karev to help you out since you're still new, sound good?"

"Yeah, sure," Loren says, though she rolls her eyes at the mention of Alex Karev.

"Let's get her up to CT," Loren says to a nurse.

"Right away, doctor,"

oOoOo

Bright lights, shiny bright lights, those are the first thing she sees. Her arm is hurting and so is her head; all she feels is pain. There are people talking to her, shining bright lights into her eyes. She's scared, doesn't know who these people are, where she is, or what's going on. She tries to talk but, she can't.

"It's okay sweetie; I need you to take a deep breath for me when I count to three. One, two, three…" She takes the deep breath and watches as the young woman pulls a tube out of her throat, yuck.

There's another lady standing beside her, a blonde looking woman with a nice smile.

"Welcome back; my name's Dr. Robbins, and this is Dr. Karev and Dr. Rodriguez. Can you tell me your name?" The woman, Dr. Rob...Dr. Robin asks.

She scrunches her forehead and tries really hard to think. She should know this, everybody has a name. But the more she thinks about it, the more it makes her head hurt.

"I don't know," Her voice is scratchy and it makes her cough.

The other lady doctor helps her take small sips from a tiny plastic cup. The other two doctors stand there glancing at one another before the guy, Dr…something that starts with a K, walks over to her.

"Can you tell me the last thing you remember?" Dr. K looks mean; he's got brown hair and brown eyes, and he's scowling. She scrunches her nose and closes her eyes, desperately trying to think of the last thing she remembers.

"It was wet, and dark, and then…I saw a bright light," she tells Dr. K; who looks back at Dr. Robin and sighs.

"I'm sorry!" Her voice comes out in a whimper as tears well up in her eyes. The other lady doctor sits on the other side of the bed and gently brushes her hair back.

"Hey, you don't have to be sorry; it's okay if you don't know what happened. Sometimes, it's hard to remember things after you have an accident. I'm Loren, but you can call me Lorie, how's that sound?" The woman, Dr. Lorie is really pretty; she's got dark hair like hers and bright eyes. When she smiles, she looks even prettier.

"Okay, but, what are you gonna call me?" The little girl looks up at Loren with big pleading eyes.

"For now, we'll call you Jane, how's that sound?" She bites her lower lip before she scowls.

"I guess," she huffs; Loren grins at her.

"Don't worry, it's just until we figure out what your real name is…if it helps, I don't like the name Jane either," Loren gives the little girl a wink, which causes her to giggle.

"She's a cute kid, isn't she?" Arizona asks a short time later when Loren is reporting to her on little Jane Doe's condition.

"She is, she looks familiar though,"

"She does; have you found anything on her parents," Loren shakes her head as Arizona sighs heavily.

"Poor kid,"

"Yeah, I know…"

"You're right though, she does look familiar. You'd probably think I was crazy for saying this but…" Arizona shakes her head as Loren stares at her.

"What?"

"It's silly but, if Derek Shepherd and Addison Montgomery were to ever have a kid, their kid would exactly like our Jane Doe," Arizona said with a laugh as Loren tilted her head to the side and stared at the now sleeping Jane Doe.

"Y'know, now that you mention it, she does look like them," Loren laughs as she focused her attention on finding out just who little Jane Doe really was.

Boston MA, January 2007

Amelia Shepherd is in deep shit.

She's pacing back and forth in her small apartment staring at the letter that had been slipped under her door while she was at work. Her hands shake as she read the letter over and over,

 _You thought you got by, but remember, you'll never get away._

It was a short letter, but the words numbed her to her core. She'd know that phrase anywhere; Duarte. Even thinking about saying his name sent a shiver down Amelia's spine. She shook her head; her eyes focused on the 11 words written on the paper. She felt sick to her stomach, her vision was fuzzy, everything felt like it was spinning.

"Amelia, is everything alright?" Her best friend Michelle gave her a small smile as she stepped into the living room.

"Uh, yeah…listen, I've gotta make a run; I'll be back, okay?" Michelle nodded, still worried about her friend.

"Whatever's going on, you'll tell me eventually!" She shouted as Amelia quickly left the apartment.

It was freezing out as she shoved her hands deep into her pockets. She needed to find a phone, a payphone in particular. There was no way she was making this call on her cell; it would far too easy for him to find her and track her down. She ended up in one of the roughest neighborhoods across town before she finally found a payphone. She rushed across the street, ignoring the honks of car horns. Her hands were numb by the time she slid the quarter into the small hole. She quickly dialed the all too familiar number, waiting exactly three rings before the all voice she desperately wanted to hear answered,

"Amelia, I've been waiting for your call,"

"Shut up! Where is she, and what've you done with her?" The man on the other end of the phone chuckled.

"I see you got my note,"

"Shut up, just shut up!"

"Now, that's no way to talk an old friend,"

"Duarte please, just tell me where she is!" Amelia could feel the tears prickling at the back of her eyes.

"Now that's a question I can't answer; that photo was taken a little over a year ago. That means she could be anywhere by now," He laughed as Amelia swore into the phone.

"I swear if you don't tell me where she is I'll-"

"What, go to the police? Tell me, what will your brother and sister-in-law think when they know that you're responsible for their little girl's disappearance?" Tears rolled down Amelia's cheeks as she pulled out the note once again; this time her eyes were focused on the photo attached to it.

It was a picture of her niece, Abigail, the night she was abducted…

 _Chapter 2 to follow…_


	2. Chapter 2

Manhattan Late September/Early October 2005

" _Derek, this is the last time I'm calling you; Abigail was looking forward to seeing you at her recital tonight," Addison sighs into the phone before hanging up. When she turns around, she finds Mark staring back at her wearing a sad expression._

" _No answer?" Mark asks._

" _Straight to voicemail," Addison mutters as she does her best to blink away tears. Tonight is their daughter's first ballet recital and she's so excited. Her only wish was that her father be there and as usual, Derek Shepherd is a no-show._

" _You should've known he wouldn't come; nothing's more important to Derek than becoming chief," Mark muttered, reaching out to touch Addison's hand. They've been having an affair for just over 3 months and have been doing fairly good to keep it a secret…with the exception of Amelia catching them in the act; she swore she wouldn't tell and so far, she hasn't._

" _Mark, we're in public," Addison mutters as Mark daringly gets closer; he's been doing that, getting bolder with his affections._

" _So? Not like there's anyone here important," he murmurs, still dangerously close._

" _Oh, so you're not scared of Liz or Kathleen or worse,_ **Carolyn** _catching us?" She raises an eyebrow, finally forcing him to take a step back. He knows how much Carolyn disapproves of Addison._

 _"Fine,"_

" _Thank you," She breathes just as Liz approaches them._

" _Hey, did you catch up with Derek?" she asks; Liz is one of Derek's older sisters and while she isn't necessarily downright mean to Addison, she is skeptical of her._

" _No; didn't answer his cell," she sighs as Liz gives her a sympathetic look._

" _I'm sorry,"_

" _Abby's gonna be so disappointed," Addison sighs, running a hand through her hair._

" _Don't worry; I'll have Andy record it so that Derek can watch later, okay?" Liz gives her a pat on the back before heading backstage to check on her girls, Lucy and Grace._

" _You gonna tell her he's not coming?" Mark asks._

" _No, I don't wanna upset her before she has to perform," Addison sighs._

" _Let's go get our seats then,"_

" _Fine; but try not to be too obvious; I already feel bad enough that I'm doing this as it is," Mark moves to stand in front of her, causing Addison to sigh._

" _Mark…"_

" _We don't have to do this Addison if you don't want to then-" She glances around to make sure no one can see them before pulling him in for a kiss._

" _You're an asshole and you're arrogant and a whore but…I'm falling in love with you," she whispers against his lips as he smiles at her._

" _Yeah?"_

" _Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm leaving Derek," and there she goes, deflating his hope that she'd actually leave Derek for him._

" _I know Addison, I get it," he says with a sigh before stepping aside to let her pass. Of course, she knows she hurt him with that confession but it's the truth. She decides to table the conversation for later. Right now, she needs to focus on being there for her daughter, since her father was too goddamned busy to show up._

 _oOoOo_

 _Of course, Abigail is devastated when she learned that her father didn't show. Mark and Archer do their best to soothe her heartbreak by telling her how proud they are after her performance._

" _I still can't believe he didn't show up," Addison says quietly as she walks next to her cousin Trina._

" _Addison, you should've known Derek would be a no-show. When has he ever-" Addison loves her cousin but it really bugs her that she can't bother to be supportive of her marriage._

" _Trina, please," the Brunette holds up her hands in surrender; it's the one thing she loves about Trina, she knows when not to push. She's a great contrast to Archer and even Bizzy when it comes to not pushing. It's why she's thankful that Bizzy and The Captain decided to take Trina and her older sister Vivienne in when their parents died. It made her feel so much better to have girls to talk and relate to growing up._

" _So, when are you going to come clean to Derek that you're fucking his best friend," Trina says, casually throwing in the fact that she knows about the affair as if it's something trivial._

" _Trina…"_

" _Oh relax, I'd never tell Derek; but you should before he finds out on his own. And learn to be more careful, you sat too close to Mark and he stared at you entirely too much during the recital," Trina murmured as they made their way into Big Daddy's Diner, one of Addison and Abigail's favorite restaurants on the Upper West Side._

 _By the time Abigail walks into the restaurant, her spirits are much lighter than they were when they left the recital. She immediately rushes towards Addison, who quickly scoops her into her arms._

" _Hey munchkin, are you feeling any better?" Addison presses a kiss to Abigail's hair._

" **Much better**! _Uncle Mark and Uncle Archie are so funny mommy!" Addison tosses her brother and secret lover a smile as she situates Abigail into a booth with her cousins while she and Trina sit with Derek's sisters._

" _I really hate that Derek missed the performance; did you call him Addie?" Carolyn asks._

" _I did; voicemail," she says quietly as Nancy reaches across the table and gives her hand a squeeze._

" _Well he's lucky; Liz got Andy to record everything," Carolyn says before diving off into her next favorite topic when Addison plans on having another child._

" _Derek and I have talked about mom and-" She doesn't get the chance to finish the thought because the person in question comes through the restaurant doors._

" _Daddy!" Abigail is racing out of her seat, nearly knocking over a waitress to get to her father._

" _Whoa, slow down kiddo, you could've made the lady spill her orders," Derek looks…tired, but happy as he holds his daughter in his arms._

" _Daddy, you missed my show!" Abigail pouts as Derek presses a kiss to her brow._

" _I know honey, and I'm sorry but I was-"_

" _Saving a life, I know," Abigail gives him an eye roll that immediately reminds him of Addison, who is walking towards him. Things between them have been…frosty as of late._

" _Hi," at least Addison knows to put on a smile in front of their daughter, as well as Derek's mother._

" _Hi; I saw your call after I got out of surgery," He leans forward and gives her a kiss, though it feels completely forced and diplomatic._

" _It's fine; she did a great job, didn't you sweetie?" Addison's smile brightens at the sight of how much Abigail lights up when she begins to tell Derek all that he's missed, rambling on like any four-and-a-half year old would._

" _Liz got Andy to record everything, in case you wanna watch," Addison quietly informs him._

" _I can grab the video from him and we can watch it at home," Derek says, surprising both Addison and Abigail._

" _Daddy, you're not going back to work?"_

" _No honey; I'm off for the rest of the night, which means you can show me all of your dance moves when we get home," Derek is smiling brightly as he chats with his daughter; Addison tosses Mark an apology look._

 _No sex for them tonight._

 _oOoOo_

 _By the time they make it home an hour-and-a-half later, Abigail is fast asleep on Derek's shoulder as Addison prepares to open the door, though Carmen their maid is opening it for them._

" _Oh, Dr. Shepherd! It's so good to see you," Carmen has been keeping Addison and Mark's secret for a while now; she's surprised to see Derek accompanying Addison home._

" _Carmen, I'm surprised to see you here so late," Derek says as she steps aside for him to move into the foyer._

" _I was supposed to come to Abby's recital but I had mass tonight and so she promised to tell me all about it when she got back but, she's all tuckered out I see," Carmen leans forward to press a kiss to Abigail's forehead before bidding her bosses goodnight and heading home._

" _I should get her to bed," Addison says, wanting to avoid any awkward moments between she and Derek._

" _Why don't I help?" His suggestion makes Addison raise an eyebrow at him._

" _Come on, what is it Addison?" and there it is, the contempt in his voice, the annoyance in having to say her name._

" _I'm just surprised Derek, that's all," In return, he rolls his eyes as he carries Abigail upstairs to her bedroom._

 _She ends up waking up as soon as he settles her onto the bed; it's actually a good thing she woke up because it makes getting her undressed so much easier. Derek sits on the side of the bed as Addison helps Abby get into her pajamas. She's more than excited about the fact that her father is home and gets to be a part of her bedtime routine. It takes three stories before she's out like a light, which makes Addison chuckle as she and Derek head back downstairs._

" _Am I that bad of a parent?" Derek asks, causing Addison to whip around from where she'd been about to grab a wine glass._

" _What?"_

" _Abby, she seemed so…she acted as if I'd gone off to war and had finally come home," Derek says, brushing past her to grab a beer from the fridge; he reaches over and grabs Addison's favorite bottle of red wine off of the wine rack and hands it to her._

" _She misses you, that's all," Addison has her back turned to Derek as she pours her glass of wine._

" _There's more to it, isn't there?"_

" _I'd rather not do this Derek," Addison sighs before taking a sip of her wine, basking in the rich, velvety taste as it flows down her throat._

" _I'm willing to listen, Addison,"_

" _Why?" She feels that tick of anger forming in the pit of her stomach as she turns to face him._

" _Why what?"_

" _Why do you care all of a sudden?" Derek scoffs._

" _Don't say it's all of a sudden, Addie,"_

" _You're never here, Derek! You're never here, we work at the exact same hospital and I never see you! We own a joint practice and I don't see you there! We have a child, Derek, a child who's getting older and is growing tired of the 'daddy has to work' speech you always give her. Let's not begin to mention the fact that your mother seems to think that if we had more children that you'd be willing to stay home!" She's fuming by the time she finishes and he's just…standing there, staring at her._

" _Wow. How long have you been holding that in?" And something about the moment makes them both burst into side-splitting laughter. In the midst of that laughter, Derek has moved closer to Addison, tentatively reaching out to touch her hip._

" _I wish you'd talked to me sooner, Addie,"_

" _Derek, I've tried talking to you before about this and you just…you don't take me seriously," She's instantly feeling guilty for her affair with Mark as Derek reaches out to touch her cheek._

" _I know, and I'm sorry Addie; I really, really wanna be chief and-"_

" _I get that Derek, I get it, I really do but…don't, don't lose your family as a result," she whispers, forcing him to pull back and look at her, a fire and a hurt blazing in his eyes._

" _You'd really leave me because I wanna be chief?" He steps away from her as though he's been burned._

" _Derek…you can't expect me to keep living like this!" She tries to reason._

" _Living like what?" Derek snaps._

" _Like I don't have a husband!" Addison snaps back, instantly regretting the words._

" _Are you…are you having an affair, Addison?"_

" _No, Derek, of course not!" She amazes herself at how effortless the words fly out of her mouth._

" _Are you sure because-"_

" _No, Derek, I'm not cheating on you! Why would you say that!?"_

" _You said-"_

" _I know what I said and I said it because it's how I feel! You're never here! You're only here long enough to eat, sleep, and shit. You barely have time for Abby, we haven't had sex in weeks-"_

" _Addison…" Derek murmurs and she sees it; fear. He's afraid she might actually leave him or have an affair._

" _Derek, let's just, let's just drop it, okay? I just wanna go to bed. The video's on the table in the living room if you wanna watch it," she tells him; she has to get away from him before she accidentally tells him that she's sleeping with his best friend._

" _Addison, please, talk to me…I don't wanna lose you, I don't wanna lose Abigail," and when she turns around, there are tears pooling in his eyes._

 _Addison's always been a sucker for a crying Derek Shepherd. Seeing him so vulnerable does something to her; she walks towards him and presses a desperate kiss to his lips, holding onto the lapel of his coat for dear life as he quickly reciprocates the kiss. She blindly leads him upstairs to their bedroom where clothes are shed and they make love, fiercely, tenderly, passionately as they quietly make promises to do better before exploding into ecstasy._

 _oOoOo_

" _Derek, Derek, wake up!" Addison is quietly shaking her husband; it's barely three a.m._

" _Derek, I heard something coming from downstairs," it takes a few moments but Derek is up, yawning and staring blearily into the darkness of their bedroom._

" _Addie…"_

" _No, Derek, listen…someone's in the house!" He listens for a moment before he realizes she's right; he hears the sound of glass breaking and other rumblings._

 _Someone has broken into their home._

" _Call the police; go down the hall and get Abigail, stay there until I tell you the coast is clear." Derek is up, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and his old Bowdoin sweatshirt as Addison grabs her robe._

" _Derek, how are you gonna-"_

" _Don't worry Addie, everything will be fine," Derek is reaching into the closet to grab something, a baseball bat. This is the one time she wishes her husband had a gun, but she understands his distaste for them; a gun took the life of his father when he was 13._

" _Derek, be careful," He nods before pressing a kiss to her lips and heading out of the bedroom as Addison quickly grabs her cell phone and dials 911._

" _Hello? Yes, I'd like to report a break-in; yes, someone's trying to break into my home…"_

 _Chapter 3 to follow..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Some mentions of sex near the end of the chapter.**

* * *

Seattle:

Mark Sloan sighs as he makes his way out of the OR; his patient didn't survive. His mind is racing everywhere; Preston Burke was shot tonight, not to mention the slew of other trauma cases that came through the ER.

"Hey, you alright?" Callie Torres is moving in step beside him; they have a weird relationship, but one only they understand.

"Lost my patient; motorcycle versus car…car won,"

"Oh, I'm sorry…have you heard anything about Burke?" She asks as Mark shakes his head just as they make their way toward the nurses' station where several other doctors are waiting; it looks like their night has been just as rough.

"Anybody got word on how Burke's doing?" Mark asks crowd of gathered doctors; it's mostly Bailey and her interns…though he notices an intern he's never seen before; she's hot, _really_ hot.

"Mark, she's an intern; don't even think about it. Or have you _not_ heard about the chief's new policy about fraternization?" Callie mutters though he's not paying her any attention. His eyes are trained on the beautiful intern currently doing charts. Callie sighs heavily as Mark brushes off her arm and walks over to the intern.

"I don't think we've ever met before, name's Mark Sloan, head of plastics…and you are?" The woman turns around and she's even more breathtaking that he expected her to be. She's got a great figure, an incredible ass from what he can see underneath her lab coat.

"Oh, I'm-"

"Rodriguez; word to the wise, don't fraternize with Mark Sloan. He's the hospital's resident whore," Arizona says, pulling the young intern away.

"You're no fun Blondie, I just wanted to know her name," Mark says, though he's smirking at the intern.

"You'd think you would've learned not to mess with interns after what happened when you tried to flirt with Meredith," he turns around and gives his best friend a grin.

"Now Addison, everybody in this hospital knows that we're sleeping together," he says playfully, though she quickly swats his arm away.

"Don't feed the gossip monster; Seattle Grace's rumor mill is worse than anything you've ever seen. Besides, I'd rather not have Derek walk up and think something's going on, especially since our divorce will be finalized in a couple of days," Addison mutters, not missing the way he bristles at the mention of their affair.

"I'm sorry Red, how're ya holding up?" Addison sighs heavily and shakes her head.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now Mark," she says just as Derek rounds the corner; Meredith is at his side, speaking quietly to him.

"Isn't this sweet, the two adulterous whores together again," Addison takes a deep, even breath before grabbing her charts.

"I'll see you later, Mark," Derek watches Addison as she walks away, before he turns around, throwing Mark a look of contempt.

"You forgave her, how come you can't forgive me?"

"I never said I forgave her,"

"You took her back," Mark points out.

"And now I'm doing what I should've done the minute she got here. As far as you go, I have zero obligation to forgive you, not now, not ever," Derek says harshly before turning his attention back towards Meredith.

"Exactly what the hell happened between the three of you? I mean, I've heard rumors from around the hospital but-" Callie asks, though Mark, as usual, is quick to interrupt her.

"D'ya want the cliff notes version or the full story? Because I get off in 20 minutes and I can tell you the whole story over drinks and…a nightcap," he tells her as Callie shakes her head.

"Drinks at Joe's is fine but _no nightcap_ …remember, I'm still technically married," she says, making sure to give George and Izzie a sneer before heading in the opposite direction.

Manhattan, September 2005

 _Little Abigail Shepherd sits up in bed; she has to pee. Quickly pulling back the covers, she slides her feet into her fuzzy pink house slippers and opens the door to her bedroom. The bathroom is just down the hall next to her parents' office. She's about to open the door to the bathroom when someone grabs her from behind. She opens her mouth and lets out a shriek, but it's quickly silenced by a hand being placed over her mouth; the ordeal spooked her so much that she's had an accident._

"Shh. it's _okay Abby, it's okay, it's just me," oh, it's only her mother, but why would she sneak up on her like that? Her mother is scooping her up, apparently unbothered by her being wet and rushes back into her bedroom, quickly locking the door behind her._

" _Mommy, what's-"_

" _Shhh…honey, I need you to listen to me, okay? I need you to-" her mother's voice is drowned out by the pounding on her bedroom door, followed by loud, angry voices, voices she's never heard before._

" _Mommy, what's going on?" She can immediately sense the fear in her mother's voice. Whatever's going on is bad, really bad._

" _Abigail, I need you to go hide in your closet and don't come out unless your father or I tell you to, okay?" Her mother's eyes keep glancing back at her bedroom door; someone is trying to get in._

" _But mommy-"_

" _Abigail, go now!" Her mother is shoving her towards the closet just as her door is broken open._

 _Abigail hides deep in her closet, underneath the toys her mother had told her to put in her toy box. She fibbed and told her she did, but she didn't. She can hear her mother talking to whoever had been trying to get into her room._

" _Please, don't hurt us; take whatever you want, just don't hurt us…"_

 _She hears her mother scream and then the room goes silent with the exception of things being turned over and thrown about. She makes the mistake of opening the closet just an inch. Her mother is lying on the ground; her eyes are closed and she's got blood on her forehead. Abigail completely disregards her mother's command to stay in the closet and rushes towards her. However, she doesn't reach her mother before a pair of strong hands moves around her waist. She does her best to get away, kicking and scratching and screaming, but the man smacks her across the face. It stings and she can't see for a few seconds but she knows that they're moving downstairs. Her eyes are watery as she watches several men moving about the living room and kitchen. One of them shouts,_

" _Found the keys!" Abigail is still trying to get away but a second man approaches her and places a cloth over her mouth. There's something in the cloth that smells funny and it makes her sleepy. The last thing she remembers is being in the backseat of her mother's car before it began moving…_

Seattle-Present

"So, we're at Joe's, having drinks…" Callie Torres is sitting in a booth across from Mark Sloan, waiting for answers. She likes him, is deeply intrigued by him, has been since his dramatic arrival to Seattle Grace a few months ago. She's even more interested in knowing what happened between he, Derek, and Addison before they got to Seattle.

"What've you heard?" There's a hard look on his face, but his eyes are weary.

"Well, I heard that you and Shepherd were best friends until he caught you in bed with his wife," Callie takes a sip of her beer as she waits for Mark's response.

"That's…fairly accurate," he says; he's had way more than she has and seems to be loosening up a bit more.

"Fairly accurate?" Callie raises an eyebrow.

"There's more to the story than Derek is willing to tell…"

"Like…"

"Like the fact that Derek and Addison had a kid," Callie's eyes widen as she nearly chokes on her drink.

"What? Mark, are you serious?"

"Yes, unfortunately, he is," Both Mark and Callie slowly turn around to find, much to their dismay, that Addison is standing behind them.

"Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd I…"

"Callie, please make mention of this to no one; Derek and I don't like to talk about our daughter," Callie nods; she and Addison have become friends since Addison moved to Seattle so she has enough respect to do nothing more than nod, pick up her purse and coat and leave, murmuring her goodbyes to Mark. Once she's gone, Addison takes her place and the look she gives Mark is menacing.

"Really Mark? I thought…Derek and I agreed that-"

"No, Derek agreed that we wouldn't talk about Abby, I never agreed to anything," Mark is drunk and obviously over his limit if the way he's growling at her is any indication.

"Joe, Dr. Sloan here is done; whatever he drank…put it on his tab, I'm taking him home," Joe gives Addison a smile and a nod before sending one of the bouncers to help her get Mark situated in her car.

The drive back to the Archfield is deathly silent; no one was supposed to know what happened to Abigail…

Manhattan

 _By the time Addison wakes up, she's in a room that's no longer Abigail's. She sits up, instantly feeling her head spin as she flops back onto the pillows._

" _You're gonna feel dizzy for a while; you've got a concussion," Trina tells her._

" _What…what happened? Where's Derek? Where's Abigail?" She remembers bits and pieces of what happened, and it's enough to make her try and sit up again, though Trina gently pushes her back onto the bed._

" _You called the police about a break-in at the brownstone," Trina tells her; she's the only one in the room with her it seems._

" _I remember…Derek said to go find Abigail and…" She closes her eyes, wincing at the pain._

" _Your memory's gonna be a bit hazy, Addie, take it easy. You and Derek were robbed; Derek's being checked out in the ER," Trina has moved to sit on the bed next to her, taking a hand into hers._

" _Where's Abigail?" Addison can feel it, can feel the shift in the atmosphere. Something has happened, something terrible has happened._

" _Trina, what's going on?" She watches her cousin take a deep breath before telling her,_

" _Addison, they took Abby; the guys who robbed you, they kidnapped Abigail,"_

 _And just like that, the world stops…_

oOoOo

Addison is completely annoyed with Mark by the time she drags him up to the 22nd floor to her hotel room. He has conveniently passed out and he's so much bigger than her that it's hard to maneuver him around to find his room key. Instead, she drags him into her hotel room and settles him on the couch. By the time she makes it to bed she's exhausted and her back hurts.

Mark Sloan groans as he rolls over the next morning, only to find himself face down on an expensive carpet. His mouth is dry and when he opens his eyes, he feels like a vampire due to the ungodly amount of sunlight burning into his corneas. His head is spinning and when he sits up, he feels like his stomach has been turned upside down. Though his vision is blurry, it's hard not to miss the pair of long legs dressed in 6 inch Louboutins pumps. One of those legs is tapping either nervously or in annoyance. He's too drunk to know which one but whoever is across from him has a killer pair of legs.

"If I'm late for work today, your interns and my interns are gonna know exactly why they called me the Ice Queen back in New York," And while he may be ridiculously hungover, he'd recognize that velvety voice anywhere.

"Oh god Addison; d'ya have to yell so loud?" Mark's face scrunches up, reminding her of a pouting four-year-old child.

"I'm not yelling, but I should be; really Mark? Telling Callie Torres that Derek and I had a child?" He can't see her because his eyes are closed because that sunlight is a real bitch, but he knows she's mad.

"I didn't tell her anything Red, I swear!" The resounding headache he was feeling turns into a raging migraine after she throws a pillow at him.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Mark groans from the sound of his own raised voice.

"Because you told Callie Torres about Abigail, Mark! Why'd you do it huh? Is it because I left you in New York? Is it because I was glad when the pregnancy test came back negative? Why would you force me to relive that kind of pain Mark?" He sits up, blearily rubbing his eyes; once he's sure the room isn't spinning he looks at her, really and truly looks at her. Addison looks a mess; of course, she's perfectly coiffed as usual, but her eyes reflect much pain.

"I don't know why I did it Red, but I'm sorry. I know how hard losing Abby is,"

"You had no right to tell Callie,"

"I know; how can I make it up to you? Just say the word and I'll do it," Before Mark can catch his breath, Addison is in his arms, kissing him passionately. It was a shock, but he likes to think that he knows Addison well enough to know that this, what she's doing, is an act of desperation and pain. He knows it's wrong but he obliges her, runs his hands through her hair, tugging on it just a little in that way he knows she likes, the one that sure to elicit a moan from her lips. Sure enough, it does; she grinds herself down on his lap, stirring his erection. Mark's hands wander and roam her frame, cupping her breasts and gripping her ass, allowing her to feel how his body grows for her.

"We're gonna be late for work," It's a mutter of a thing from Mark but Addison hears it.

"It's still pretty early out," her chin juts out towards the window; the sun is only beginning to rise.

"When's your first patient?" Addison's hands have moved underneath the bottom of Mark's t-shirt, scraping her nails against his abdomen.

"I have rounds in about an hour," His shirt is quickly over his head, blindly tossed somewhere in the room while Mark works to unbutton her blouse.

"An hour? I think we can get in at least two rounds," Mark surprises her by rolling them over to where she's beneath him. He presses his leg between her thighs and she moans for him, pulling him on top of her.

It doesn't take long before her skirt is rucked her around her belly and she's unbuckling his belt, unzipping his pants. And when he slides home, all feelings of the night before are temporarily forgotten, along with their thoughts of Abigail.

 _Chapter 4 to follow…_


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so excited that you all are loving this story; for those of you whom this story may feel familiar to, yes, this is a repost of "Gone in the Night". I decided to revamp it a bit before publishing it as a book. For all of you who are wondering just how Amelia fits into the story, you'll just have to keep reading to find out…**

* * *

Seattle:

"How weird is it to have another intern added to our group this late in the game?" Meredith Grey asked her friends as they sat in 'really old guy's room doing labs.

"Dude, Rodriguez is a goner by the time intern exams come around," Alex Karev said through a mouthful of food.

"I don't know…" George O'Malley said as Izzie scoffed.

"I actually agree with Alex; I heard her resident was terrible, didn't teach them anything. Most of the other interns who came in with her either dropped out or got reassigned."

"How'd we get stuck with one of Ingles' rejects?" Cristina muttered as Meredith watched the young girl through the open door. She seemed…good as if she knew what she was doing.

"Hey, Alex?" Meredith asked.

"'Sup?" He was still stuffing his face with some leftover pizza from the cafeteria.

"Aren't you supposed to be on that Jane Doe case that Joe brought in a few days ago?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Arizona's about to make her rounds, and Bailey's with her," Alex dropped his food and made a mad dash out of the room, doing his best to make sure he didn't look like an idiot in front of his bosses as his friends laughed.

"Y'know, I think I might have to agree with George on this one; Loren's been picking up the slack for Alex and their patient hasn't died yet…"Meredith said before taking another sip of her coke.

oOo

Loren Rodriguez was nothing short of furious; she'd been on the Jane Doe case for the last 48 hours, and Alex Karev had barely made an appearance, except when he knew Dr. Robbins would be making her rounds. So that left Loren in charge of Jane Doe. She was a beautiful kid, underneath all of the damage, both physical and emotional. She didn't talk much, kept her eyes down and she whined a lot. It wasn't that Loren found the whining annoying; she just…found it annoying.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Alex Karev rushed into Jane Doe's room out of breath.

"You look like you just ran a mile to get here…just in time for rounds I see," Loren said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes at Alex.

"How's the kid?"Alex said, snatching the chart from Loren as Arizona walked in, along with Dr. Bailey and Callie Torres, a third year Ortho resident.

"So, what's our update on Jane Doe?" Arizona smiled warmly at the young child sitting in the bed.

"Vitals are good, still not eating, still-"

"She's shy, that's why she's not talking; she's not eating because when I checked her out this morning, I noticed that her tonsils looked swollen and she's got a fever," Loren said as Alex glared at her.

"What do you think could be going on Rodriguez?" Arizona moved to sit down next to Jane Doe, trying to get her to open up to her; still, nothing.

"I'm thinking she might have early signs of tonsillitis," Loren said.

"What makes you come to that conclusion?" Dr. Bailey asked, suddenly interested in what her new intern had to say.

"Well, like I said she's not eating, her tonsils looked swollen when I checked her out this morning; she's been spiking a fever off and on all night and the meds are only a temporary fix. She's got a runny nose, and when she does talk, it's barely audible, which is different than how she sounded when she first woke up from surgery," Dr. Bailey and Callie exchange glances and nod knowingly.

"Karev, what do you think?" Callie asked.

"Rodriguez is right, definitely tonsillitis," Alex nodded as Callie and Arizona stifled laughs.

"Karev, you're off the case," Dr. Bailey said with a sigh as Alex stared at her in shock.

"But, Dr. Bailey-"

"I know you Karev; you left Rodriguez to do all the work while you took the credit. Since you don't wanna pull your weight, you can scut for the rest of the week," Alex rolled his eyes in annoyance but quickly left the room.

"Good work Rodriguez," Callie said with a smile as Loren nodded.

"I want a full workup done on her to rule out any other causes, but based on my exam, those tonsils have gotta come out. Has she been able to remember anything?" Arizona asked, motioning for Loren to step away from Jane Doe while Callie did her own assessment.

"Nothing," Loren sighs, glancing back at Jane Doe.

"Do you think it could be amnesia? Her scans showed a TBI…has the swelling gone down any?" Dr. Bailey asked as Arizona shook her head.

"No. I'm paging Shepherd for a consult," Arizona informed Bailey.

"You might wanna call in a psych consult as well as CPS and Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd," Loren said as the other women stared at her.

"What else is going on?" Arizona's body language was serious; this case just kept unraveling by the second.

"I grew up in Brooklyn and I know a street kid when I see one. This kid definitely has the look of a street kid; either that or she's a kid on the run. She's got multiple fractures that never properly healed, she's really underweight, and…"Loren paused, unable to figure out how to say what else could possibly be wrong with Jane Doe.

"And what, Rodriguez, spit it out!" Bailey hissed.

"There was blood in her catheter tube this morning and the police took samples of her clothes and found traces of semen…they wanna come back and do a rape kit," Dr. Bailey turns her head, completely shocked at what she was hearing.

"Right; we'll have someone page Shepherd, Montgomery-Shepherd and-"

"You're gonna want someone to page Mark too…she's got some pretty nasty wounds that need to be looked it, possible infection. I've gotta get in there and reset some of those bones that haven't healed properly. I'm thinking this kid was abused...what, did I say something wrong?" Callie asked as all three women looked at her.

"Rodriguez, page Shepherd, Sloan, and Montgomery-Shepherd...now," Arizona tells Loren who nods and quickly leaves the room.

Manhattan, September 2005

 _Someone is in his house._

 _Derek carefully makes his way downstairs, metal baseball bat in hand, but stops shorts when he sees four large looking men rummaging through his living room and kitchen. He moves to come further down the stairs but the third one from the bottom creaks, causing all four men to look sharply towards the stairs. Derek stands his ground, holding the bat in his hands, ready to strike one of them if they come close to him. He puts up a good fight, swinging the bat left and right, but is unsuccessful; one of the men wrestles the bat away from him, hitting him with it until he falls unconscious._

 _When he wakes, Mark is hovering over him, sutcher kit in hand._

" _Whoa, take it easy Shep," Mark's voice is gruff as he stitches his head up._

" _Addison, where's Addison?" His voice is slightly slurred when he speaks._

" _Trina's checking her out," Mark mutters just as he finishes his last stitch._

" _Where's Abigail?" Mark sighs heavily; he's not sure if Trina's told Addison just yet but Derek deserves to know._

" _After those guys knocked you out, they went upstairs and…they attacked Addison,"_

" _Mark, that's not what I-"_

" _They took Abigail, Derek; they took Abigail and they drove off in your car," Mark tells him; at that exact moment, an ear piercing scream of 'no!' fills the ER followed by desperate, broken wails._

 _Trina's just told Addison._

oOo

Jane Doe isn't a stupid child, she knows that something is wrong with her, correction, _a lot_ is wrong with her. From the moment she opened her eyes, the doctors have been using big words when they talk about her. Some of them sound familiar to her, as though she'd heard them in another life. The boy doctor, Dr. K is no longer her doctor, it's just Lorie; she likes her. Maybe Lorie will tell her what's going on?

"Lorie…" she can barely get her words out without coughing; Lorie is instantly by her side, pushing her hair out of her face.

"What's wrong honey?"

"What's wrong with me?" She hates the way her voice sounds; she sounds like a froggy with a cold. She didn't sound like that before, so somebody has to know what's going on with her.

"Well, you had an accident; do you remember that?"

"A little…it was cold," Jane frowns, somehow able to remember bits and pieces from that night.

"Do you remember anything else from that night sweetie?" She frowns, doing her best to remember but suddenly, her head hurts and the room is spinning and her stomach hurts.

"Jane? Sweetie, are you okay?" Lorie is moving closer to her as she begins to cough up blood. Suddenly, everything is all woozy and she feels herself falling into Lorie's lap.

"Code Blue! Code Blue, somebody page Robbins, now! Come on Jane, come on honey wake up!" Arizona and Bailey rush into the room in seconds, shouting for nurses to bring them various drugs and for someone to page Shepherd and Sloan.

"What the hell happened!?"

"She was talking and then she started coughing up blood!"

"Dammit," Arizona examines Jane Doe with a sigh.

"What is it?"

"Her pupils are blown…her ICP is through the roof,"

"She needs to be in an OR now!"

"Rodriguez, page me the minute you hear from Shepherd, Sloan, and Montgomery-Shepherd," Loren nods, watching with a sigh as Arizona and Dr. Bailey wheel little Jane Doe off to surgery.

"Looks like you screwed up," Loren turns around at the sound of Alex Karev's voice; he even has the nerve to look smug.

"This wasn't my fault; she had a TBI that I'd been monitoring since the minute she came in here," Loren tries not to show it but she's scared shitless.

"If that kid dies while on your watch…" Alex is smirking at her; he actually thinks this happened because she was incompetent.

"You're such a dick Karev!"

"And you're just a reject intern; do us all a favor and quit the program already," Before she knows it, Loren punches Alex in the face, a satisfying smile crossing her features as he falls to the ground holding his nose.

"Asshole,"

 _Chapter 5 to follow…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Trigger warnings for mentions of child molestation and prostitution.**

* * *

Boston:

This is bad, this is very, _very bad_ Amelia thinks to herself as she drives back to her apartment. Her mind was racing; how could Duarte have found Abigail! Where was she? Was she alive? He didn't seem to be forthcoming on that information. How did he know Abigail was her niece? More importantly, why did he wait so long to tell her that he had been the one to kidnap Abigail? She slammed her hand against the steering wheel in frustration as fat, hot tears rolled down her cheeks. How could she tell Derek? There was no way she was telling him; she and Derek were slowly mending their relationship.

Then there was Addison to think about; she'd always been so close to Addie. She had to get out of Boston; she knew that Duarte would be looking for her, and soon. She was still pretty young, only 31; she'd been killing her residency so far. She was doing well enough to have gained the attention of Dr. Geraldine Ginsberg. Ginsberg was the absolute best, even better than Derek, though most surgeons found that to be debatable. The thing that really stood out to Amelia about Ginsberg was that she was always traveling to wherever her patients needed her. If she decided to take up Ginsberg's fellowship offer, there was no way Duarte would be able to track her down. With a heavy heart and shaking hands, she quickly grabbed her cell and dialed the number scribbled down on the back of a business card.

"Hello? Dr. Ginsberg, this is Amelia Shepherd; I was calling to see if that teaching fellowship was still available? It is? Great, then I would love to take you up on that offer. When can I start? A week? Great, that's all the time I need,"

She sighed in relief; she was safe. She looked down at the picture of her niece and sighed. She hated doing this, but there was no way she was going to be the family disappointment, again.

"I hope you're okay Abby, wherever you are…" Amelia whispered to the photo before tossing it out of the window.

She had to start over, to pretend that she had no idea or involvement with Abigail's disappearance. She couldn't disappoint Derek or Addie, not after all the trouble she'd caused them over the years.

Seattle:

Alex Karev couldn't believe that he'd been punched in the face by a girl. He shoved George away when he tried to help him up. His pride was hurt more than anything; he touched his nose and winced; she'd most definitely broken it.

"Karev, let Sloan take a look at your nose and then go home," Alex's eyes widened in shock as Dr. Bailey slowly shook her head at him.

"You're sending me home!?"

"You're no good here with a broken nose; go home," Dr. Bailey ordered as Alex continued to follow her down the hall.

"But what about Rodriguez?" Dr. Bailey stopped and slowly rounded on Alex.

"Did you or did you not act like a jackass and essentially tell her that if Jane Doe died on her watch that it would be her fault because she's incompetent?" She asked as Alex remained quiet.

"Well did you?"

"…Yes,"

"And have you also tried to receive credit for hours you didn't really work by shoving all of the work on Rodriguez while you lollygagged around, only showing up when it was time for rounds?"

"…Yes,"

"Good. Now give me one good reason I shouldn't have you kicked out of the program because you're acting like you don't deserve nor want to be here," Dr. Bailey stood in front of him, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face as if she dared him to challenge her.

"Fine, I'll go home,"

"Don't come back until tomorrow," Alex gripped the entire time but eventually found someone to look at his nose before he went home.

"Stevens, I'm reassigning you to work with Rodriguez; she's still relatively new to my service but she seems to have potential. I want you to keep an eye on her, give her any help she might need, got it?" Izzie nods as she carefully makes her way over to the new intern.

"Hey, you're Loren, right?" She turns around and instantly, Izzie is struck by just how beautiful she is. She's a bit shorter than her, around Meredith's height but way prettier than Meredith. In fact, she might even be prettier than Izzie herself. She's got an exotic look to her like she could be from an island somewhere. Her hair is curly, but pulled into a perfect looking bun; she looks tired, like the rest of the interns, but still somehow looks better than all of them. She's got an accent, maybe she's from upstate, like Boston or New York.

"Hey, yeah and you're…Izzie Stevens, right?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you; I'm sorry about Alex he can be a real…"

"Asshole?" Loren raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her.

"Yeah; nice punch by the way," Izzie said as they both laughed.

"Thanks; I grew up in the Bronx, learned to be tough at an early age. You from around here?"

"Trailer park over in Chailis," Loren nods; Izzie isn't sure if she's surprised or impressed.

"That's…interesting,"

"Interesting?"

"Yeah, never pegged you for the trailer park type, not with all the talk about you modeling to pay your way through med school and all,"

"I never pegged you to be a New Yorker,"

"Well, now we know something about each other," Loren said with a smile.

"Guess we do…so, Dr. Bailey asked me to help you out but you seem to be doing pretty good on your own,"

"Yeah, surprising for a reject intern, huh?" Izzie stood in shock as Loren laughed.

"Relax, I'm kidding, but I do know that you, Alex, Meredith, Cristina and George have been talking about me. I even know about the bet on when I'm gonna screw up or leave the program."

"I'm sorry," Izzie cringed.

"Whatever, I'm used to people not believing in me," Loren said as she went over little Jane Doe's case with Izzie.

"Wow, and you really think she's a street kid?"

"She just has that look…like I said before, I'm from the Bronx; I know a lot of street kids and she definitely fits the description of a street kid, at least from what I've seen,"

"It says in her chart that she could be a possible sexual assault victim?" Izzie frowns, this case is really starting to get to her.

"The police tested her clothes for evidence and they found semen,"

"Jesus Christ! She can't be more than eight!"

"That's what I said; I think what's upsetting me the most is that no one's showed up to claim her yet. She's been here almost three days now! I mean, she _has_ to have parents somewhere, someone _has_ to notice that their kid is missing," Loren runs a hand through her hair in frustration just as Arizona rounds the corner with a man following behind her.

"Stevens, Rodriguez, this is detective Anderson, he's been assigned to Jane Doe's case," He's a nicely dressed man, standing at about six feet tall; his eyes are trained on Izzie.

"I heard Jane Doe is in surgery right now but I'm hoping you all can answer a few questions for me?"

"She can probably answer more questions than I can; I just got assigned to the case," Izzie's eyes are trained on the officer; oh yes, she's definitely interested in him.

"I was there when she was brought into the ER," Loren informs him, causing him to tear his attention away from Izzie, going straight into professional mode.

"Did you notice anything, strange about her when she came in?"

"She was pale, and it was raining that night so she was cold…her clothes were a mess,"

"Anything else?"

"No, not really; she's been in and out of consciousness the last few days,"

"Do you know when she'll be able to answer any questions?"

"Honestly, I can't say; she's showing signs of amnesia right now, but the guy who brought her in can probably tell you more than I can,"

"We've talked to him and he can't tell us much of anything; said he found her near the entrance to his bar, looked like she'd been run over by one of the customers," Detective Anderson said as a shiver went down both Izzie and Loren's spines.

"So you haven't found her parents yet?" Izzie is suddenly interested in the case again, moving to stand next to Loren.

"…Well, we haven't found her parents, but she does have a connection to someone else who came into the hospital the same night she did," Loren and Izzie's interests have suddenly piqued.

"Who?"

"A man by the name of Dean Allen; he died a couple of hours ago,"

"Was he her father?"

"We doubt it; he's got a history of kidnapping and child prostitution. Plus, from what witnesses at the hotel told us, some sort of commotion could be heard just outside of their motel room before she ran away from him. We're waiting on the wife to come and identify the body; witnesses said she left the motel across the street during the incident but never came back; a car was reported as stolen from the bar. We've got agents waiting at the motel to talk to her,"

"Do you think she'll come back?"

"She has to; there were three other children in the motel with them. They've been placed into foster care," Detective Anderson hands them both his card with his contact information, though his eyes linger on Izzie a few minutes longer.

"If she should wake up or you should get any information about who she is, don't hesitate to call," Izzie stares dreamily as he walks away, forcing Loren to nudge her.

"Sorry, but he's yummy, isn't he?"

"He's not exactly my type,"

"But Mark Sloan is?" Loren raises an eyebrow at Izzie, who immediately grins at her.

"Oh come on, you have to know that Sloan's been checking you out,"

"Robbins has been doing her best to keep me away from him," Loren has to admit, she's seen Dr. Sloan looking at her; he's as cute as she'd heard he was. That McSteamy nickname was certainly appropriate for him.

"Oh my God! You have noticed him looking at you!" Izzie grinned as Loren blushed.

"Okay, so maybe I have noticed,"

"He's definitely hot, but you can't get involved with him…he's trouble,"

 _Trouble I wouldn't mind getting into_ Loren thought to herself with a smile before she went back to doing her charts.

Seattle-Six Weeks Earlier…

 _She was sitting in the back seat as her 'parents' drove through the rain. She vaguely remembers the sign 'Welcome to Seattle';_ _Seattle, the Emerald City; Dorothy went to Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. She remembers that story, her real parents let her watch the movie once. She wants to be excited; wants to ask if they'll see Dorothy but Dean and Karen aren't friendly type. They've been in the station wagon for three days now and her legs hurt and she really has to pee. She's squished between Jamie and James; baby Agnes is asleep in her car seat. She locks eyes with Dean who gives her that creepy smile that lets her know bad things are gonna happen to her later. She hates it when the bad things happen; they always make her throw up, and Karen doesn't like it when she throws up after._

 _"Why are we here?"Jamie asks as Dean rolls his eyes. Jamie's one of the twins; he asks too many questions._

 _"This is where we'll be staying," Karen explains glancing at him through the mirror._

 _The car smells of stale air and trash...but that's what happens when you have to live out of your car. These people, her 'parent's, they weren't rich like her real ones. Her real parents had a nice house with warm beds and running water and an actual toilet. She thinks of them often, her parents. In her head, she tries to remind herself of who she is, but her memories are starting to get hazy. The car soon comes to a stop; they're outside of a motel she notices... the motel is located on a pretty busy strip. There's a bar down the street...Emerald City Bar; there's a big hospital across from it. Seattle Grace Hospital._

 _"Why'd we stop?" she asks as Dean sighs; they've been sitting outside the motel for a long time now and she's hungry and she still has to pee._

 _"Sarah, what have I told you about asking so many fucking questions?"_

 _"Sorry," she says quietly as Karen returns half an hour later._

 _"We get a room?" Dean shifts in his seat to get a glimpse of Karen; her top is buttoned up wrong and her makeup is smeared. She obviously did something bad while she was gone._

 _"You don't wanna know what I had to do to get us a room," Karen says in annoyance before ordering 'Sarah' and Jamie to unload the few meager items they have. James is slow and can't really do much so he sits in the car with the baby. Once they're inside, the room is a small step up from the car she notices. There are two beds, a television and an actual bathroom-thank God! Once everything is unpacked, she heads straight for the bathroom, causing Karen to step in front of her._

 _"And just where do you think you're going?"Karen asks, a smirk on her face._

 _"I really gotta go, Karen!"_

 _"What did you just call me?"_

 _"N-Nothing" She says as her heart begins to beat faster._

 _"You just called me by my first name, didn't you?" Karen says walking closer to her; she still has to pee and it's so close to coming out; it'll only be worse if she pees on herself._

 _"I didn't mean to, honest!" 'Sarah' bites her lower lip before cowing back into the nearby wall._

 _"Oooh, you're gonna get it now Sarah!" Jamie says from his place on the bed, not even bothering to look up from his video game; James is sitting next to Agnes; he's rubbing on her tummy in that weird way that makes 'Sarah' shiver._

 _"You know how it displeases mommy when you call her by her first name, don't you?"_

 _"Y-yes mommy!" 'Sarah' says, still backing away from Karen, bumping into Dean, who is sitting at the old rickety table near the window, in the process._

 _"Get outta my way!" he bellows, shoving her to the ground before taking a drag of his cigarette._

 _"Lemme see your cig, Dean," Karen says as he smirks at her._

 _"You gonna burn her, aren't ya?"_

 _"She knows the price that she has to pay for not making mommy happy," Karen says with a calm smile as 'Sarah's eyes go wide._

 _"No! No mommy, please! Please no, I'm sorry! Don't hurt me...MOMMY!"_

Seattle-72 Hours Ago…

 _The thunder wakes her up that night, causing her to sit up in bed. The window is open; leaning forward she can see the cars zipping up and down the busy street on which the motel is located. She's supposed to start school tomorrow, but she doesn't want to; she knows they'll be gone as soon as she starts making friends. She'd been a 'bad girl' today, at least that's what Dean told Karen. Karen had gone out to do stuff that gets them money; James and Jamie had taken Agnes to the pool, leaving 'Sarah' with Dean. Today he made her do the thing she hates the most; she had to touch him. 'Sarah' hates touching him; she hates it even more when he makes her put_ it _in her mouth. Today, she just didn't feel like putting_ it _in her mouth. So she told him; why oh why had she said no? He beat her, with his belt and still forced her to do it. He hit her so hard that it chipped one of her teeth in the front. She only got it worse when Karen came home. She'd burned her with her cigarette (again) and refused to give her dinner._

 _She has to pee; she's been forced to hold it since she got burned with the cigarette. Karen said it was to 'teach her a lesson. She looks over at the bed across from hers, Karen and Dean are sleeping; Agnes is in between them. She, however, had been forced to sleep with Jamie and James. She doesn't like James very much because while he's slow, he sometimes liked to touch her once the lights had gone out. Sometimes, Jamie touches her too; she can tolerate it when Jamie touches her; his hands don't roam as much as Dean's do and they don't go in uncomfortable places like James do. Tonight, James is touching her and she hates it. He likes touching himself, sometimes he squirts this really gross stuff into her belly. He usually doesn't bother her after he's done and lets her crawl back into bed._

 _She's lying there next to Jamie, who's touching her hair; but she's uncomfortable. She has to pee really, really bad; but she doesn't wanna risk waking Karen and Dean. She waits until she can hear James' heavy breathing and Jamie's loud snores. Once she's sure they're asleep, she very carefully, she slips out of bed. Grabbing her old run down converse shoes and jacket, she sneaks out of the hotel, looking for a place to pee. Peeing in the room would only get her caught. She stumbles upon a small little hallway in between rooms; there's nothing there but an old vending machine, which she chooses to pee on the side of. Once she's done, she's left wondering around by herself. It's late and there's no one else around and she doesn't wanna risk going back to the room. So she takes the liberty to explore her new surroundings._

 _This motel is pretty much like all the other motels they'd stayed in back when they lived in the other cities. There's a newspaper stand just past the vending machine; she likes to read, her real parents had started teaching her before she was taken. Going to school the few times she was allowed to helped improve her reading skills. Her teachers always said she was smart; Dean and Karen don't know she can read, at least not that well. They don't know that she's been trying to look for her parents; she's scared of what they'd do if they ever caught her. She has some change in her pockets that she uses to retrieve a newspaper. The thing that catches her attention is something, or rather_ someone _on the front page. There's a woman on the front page who looks so familiar that it causes her heart to skip a beat._

 _The caption reads: "_ World Class Surgeon safely separates conjoined twins _," The doctor who performed the surgery:_ Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery-Shepherd _._

 _OAne look at the woman is all she needs to be assured that this woman, is her mother._

 _"What the hell are you doing out here?" Dean's voice bellows, startling her._

 _"I had to go to the bathroom and, I didn't wanna wake you," she says quietly as Dean's eyes land on the paper before snatching it out of her hand._

 _"Where the hell'd you get this? Did you steal it?"_

 _"No," 'Sarah' gulps, looking down at her feet._

 _"No, what?"_

 _"No sir," 'Sarah' says quickly._

 _"How'd you pay for it?"_

 _"I had change in my pockets, honest!" she mumbles as he reads the paper and then looks over at her. He glances between the woman on the front of the paper and 'Sarah' for several minutes before his eyes widen in fear. It's in that moment that she knows that he knows that she knows just who the woman in the paper is...and it's in this moment that she decides to make a run for it._

 _She's pretty fast for a six-and-a-half-year-old; she can't hear anything but the sound of her heavy breathing, Dean's cursing, and the sound her shoes make when they hit a puddle. She's almost past their room when she feels a pair of hands grab her, it's James; she kicks and squirms, trying to get out of his grasp. Almost as if out of instinct, she bites down on his arm, hard, causing him to let out a yelp before letting her go. She's free to run again, doesn't bother to look back and see if anyone is after her. She runs as far and as fast as she can until she reaches the street. The hospital is just a few yards away; she saw it when they pulled up. The newspaper article said that her mother worked there. If she can just get to the hospital; but the way that the cars are zipping across the street make her nervous. She remembers when she was with her mother (her real mother) that they would sometimes cross the street; she always told her to look both ways before crossing the street, and when there were no cars coming, run as fast as you can._

 _She takes a second to look back; Dean is gaining on her, and fast. She looks both ways and for a split second, there are no cars coming. Taking a deep breath, she makes a mad dash across the street just as Dean runs out behind her; he doesn't look both ways and runs directly into a car. A few cars stop, but she doesn't; she can't afford to stop. The rain is pouring down on her head and it's cold, really, really cold. She nearly gets hit by one of the cars and it forces her into the parking lot of the Emerald City Bar. She stops for a second to catch her breath. She's shivering from the cold rain; from the distance, she can see the police sirens heading towards where Dean is lying in the middle of the street._

 _Maybe now that everyone's distracted she can make her way towards the hospital. Still, the street's too busy and she doesn't wanna risk Karen coming after her, so she decides to hide in the parking lot of the Emerald City Bar. She hunches over, resting her hands on her knees as she takes in heavy puffs of air. She can see the hospital from the parking lot. She just has to make sure everyone is distracted when she leaves. The newspaper said her mother worked at that hospital. Her memories of her mom are fuzzy, but looking at that picture she started to remember. She can see that police are starting to gather in the road; Dean's head is cracked open and she can see White stuff oozing out of his head. Good, she hopes he's dead for what he'd made her do earlier. She takes in a deep breath, watching as it turned into a puff of smoke. Not only was it raining, but it was cold outside and it's making her shiver. Maybe when she finds her mom she can…_

 _She doesn't get to finish that thought because she's knocked to the ground by the bumper of a car. The next thing she feels is something heavy rolling over her; her head and the rest of her body is throbbing with pain before it all goes black._

Bellevue, Washington:

Karen Allen woke up just in time to see that little brat Sarah sneaking out of their room. She nudged her husband awake and told him to go handle it. Of course, when she heard the commotion going on, she decided to get the heck out of dodge and headed over to the bar across the street. She'd told him that taking Sarah was too much of a risk, that coming to Seattle was a bad idea, but he liked the little bitch too much to listen. She'd just put her lips to her drink before hearing the commotion outside; someone had been hit by a car. She prayed it was that girl, but she wasn't sticking around long enough to find out. The cops would be here any second and while she loved Dean, she didn't wanna go to jail. She carefully made her way into the parking lot, desperate to find a getaway car. Lucky for her, she spotted a fancy BMW just a few feet away. It was easy to steal, the idiot owners kept a spare set of keys in the Sunvisor.

As she was backing out, she could've sworn she'd run over something; probably a stupid cat. She didn't bother to see what it was; instead, she drove over to a neighboring county where she's been hiding out ever since. She knows the police are at the motel waiting to talk to her about Dean. She also knows that the state has custody of the other three; she doesn't care about the boys, they weren't hers anyway. She does, however, care about Agnes. She may have been involved with Dean's fucked up scheme, but she didn't wanna loose Agnes; Kelly had entrusted the baby to her before she died. This was all Sarah's fault; she was gonna kill that damn girl. Damn that little brat, damn Dean for having a fetish for little girls. If only he'd listened to her when she told him they should've gotten rid of the girl weeks ago, they wouldn't be in this mess.

She's standing on the corner, looking to find a John to have a good time with. She smiles when she sees an all black car pull up to the sidewalk. The window rolls down just a little; bingo, she thinks to herself. She pushes her boobs up, tugs on her skirt and saunters over to the car, but immediately regrets it when the man behind the window flashes a badge.

"Shit," she mutters as another officer climbs out of the driver's side and handcuffs her.

She's completely silent during the ride to the precinct, though she frowns when she notices them driving past the precinct.

"Hey dumbass, you just drove past the jail," Karen rolls her eyes and pops her gum as she plops back into the seat.

"That's because we're taking you to Seattle; you're wanted in connection with the Jane Doe case at Seattle Grace,"

"I don't know nothin about that," Karen keeps her nose pressed to the glass of the police car. She knows how this works; keep your mouth shut or else.

"Sure you do; your face is all over the news," The officer who arrested her makes eye contact with her through the rearview mirror. The other officer in the front seat turns to ask her,

"What can you tell us about the girl?"

"I'm not saying anything until I have a lawyer present!" Karen protests as the officers shrug.

"Suit yourself, but we know all about who you are and what you do, Jennifer Reed,"

Well, shit; no one's called her Jennifer in over 15 years…

 _Chapter 6 to follow…_


	6. Chapter 6

Cambridge, Massachusetts 2005

 _Addison and Derek are released from the hospital the following afternoon. They can't go back to the brownstone because the police are still investigating it and because going back there will be too painful. They settle for Derek's mother's house because there was no way in hell Addison was going to Greenwich with her parents. The Shepherd house is busy and filled with people coming in and out. Derek's sisters have shut down their practices for the week while Mark has taken a leave of absence from the hospital. Trina, Archer, and Vivienne have been by to visit almost every day, even managing to drag Bizzy down for a visit. It's been just over a week that they've been in Cambridge and Addison has had all that she take out of Derek's mother. It's not that Carolyn has been annoying, but she knows that Carolyn isn't exactly fond of her. The only thing making this stay bearable is Derek's baby sister Amelia. Amy hasn't exactly had the shiniest of backgrounds; she's in her late 20's and is just starting out her residency._

" _She'll come home Addie, the police will find her. Plus, she's a Forbes Montgomery; I wish you'd seen the reward your parents are offering for anyone who knows about Abby's whereabouts," Addison's eyes widen as she sits up in bed._

" _What do you mean 'the award my parents are offering'?" Amelia cringes._

" _So haven't read the papers then?"_

" _No," Amelia sighs, handing her sister-in-law a copy of the paper._

" _Half a million dollars!?" Addison bolts out of bed and storms downstairs, hell bent on calling her parents and giving them a piece of her mind. When she reaches the end of the staircase, she overhears Derek talking to his mother._

" _Why would they do that ma?"_

" _I don't know Derek, but what did you expect from Addie's parents?" Carolyn reaches across the table and grabs her son's hand and squeezes it._

" _I just...this is my child and they've put some sort of price tag on her. The police told us not to do that; they told us to wait for them to contact us!"_

" _They probably thought they were doing you and Addie a favor Derek; they don't know how to handle situations like this. I mean, look at how Addie's been handling it, staying in bed all day?" Derek sighs, shaking his head._

" _Ma…our child was taken from our home and we were both attacked,"_

" _I know that Der; but you're walking around completely fine and you took more of a beating than she did…" Addison shakes her head slowly before heading back upstairs to pack her clothes, causing Amelia to frown._

" _What's wrong?"_

" _I can't stay here another second, I'm going back to the brownstone,"_

" _Addison, you know it's not safe there; what if-"_

" _It doesn't matter Amelia; I'm not staying here. I'd rather take my chances at the brownstone," Amelia sighs, knowing she won't be able to change her mind. Instead, she helps her pack her things._

Seattle:

Today is the day; she and Derek are finally getting divorced. She sits in the fancy looking executive suite across from Derek as their lawyers go over everything.

"…And so all monetary assets will be split down the middle, Mrs. Shepherd will retain all real estate properties which include a Brownstone in Manhattan and-"

"Actually, I want to sell the Brownstone," Addison informs their lawyer as Derek stares at her strangely.

"You wanna sell the Brownstone?"

"I'm never going back to New York so…I wanna sell it."

"That would mean you'd retain all monies retained from the sale," Addison glances over at Derek who simply nods.

"Okay; that means Mrs. Shepherd will keep the beach house in the Hamptons while Dr. Shepherd keeps the land in Seattle. The Brownstone will be sold immediately with Mrs. Shepherd keeping all proceeds. Everything else will be split equally down the middle…are both parties okay with this?" Derek looks at Addison who nods quickly.

"Then it's settled; all you have to do is sign off and everything else will be taken care of," Addison takes a deep breath and reaches for the divorce papers.

"I won't put the Brownstone up for sale just yet, in case you wanna go back there and get-"

"No, I have nothing left there," Derek's words sting; how he could so easily pretend that the life they shared at the brownstone meant nothing to him? He can see the hurt in her eyes and sighs heavily.

"That's not what I mean Addie, I mean…" he doesn't get to finish his sentence because their pages are going off.

"It's Richard; it's the Jane Doe patient that came into the ER last week, apparently we're both needed on the case," Addison looks up at Derek and sighs.

"I can still sign really quick; I know how much you wanna get this over with," she gives Derek a sad smile as she signs away the last 13 years of her life with the stroke of a pen.

"Derek, aren't you gonna sign?" He pauses for a moment; all eyes are on him, waiting for him to make things official.

He never thought he'd get to this moment and pause. Addison stares at him expectantly. He should be eager to sign the divorce papers, after what she'd did to him, he should've signed quicker than she did. Did he _really_ try and make their marriage work? He knows the answer is no, but he also knows that things between them will never be the same.

So he signs; his life as Derek-and-Addison is officially over with the stroke of a pen.

"Your divorce will be finalized within 30 days," their lawyer tells them, stopping to shake their hands, leaving them alone in the office.

"Addie I-"

"Naomi offered me a job, in Los Angeles," she blurts out as Derek stares at her with wide eyes.

"You-you're, you're leaving?"

"I don't know yet; I'm thinking about it. I need a fresh start; besides, Seattle is your place, not mine."

"If this is about what I said before-"

"It's not; well, it is but it isn't. There's nothing tying me to Seattle; Abigail is…that chapter of our lives is over. It's time we both started fresh, put the past behind us, y'know?" She leans forward to give him one final kiss.

"We'd better get back to the hospital; Richard's page seemed urgent," she shifts the strap of her purse onto her left shoulder and heads out to her car, leaving Derek completely stunned.

Boston:

"I still can't believe you're leaving," Michelle stands in the middle of her now half empty apartment she's shared with Amelia for the last three years.

"Yeah, me either," Michelle notices that she's been jittery the last couple of days, as though something's bothering her.

"Amelia, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Amelia nods quickly, in a hurry to leave the apartment.

"Amelia…are you using again?"

"What?"

"I just…you've been acting so…I dunno, strange lately." Amelia sighs heavily; she could see how Michelle would think she's using again.

"I'm fine Michelle I just, I've got a lot on my mind, that's all. This move is sort of stressing me out. I mean, I don't wanna move but, it's a great opportunity. Maybe this way I'll prove to my mom and my siblings that I'm not Hurricane Amy anymore," Michelle nods, pulling her friend into a long hug.

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone Amelia. You're not the girl who got high and totaled her brother's car and OD'd for three minutes. That girl's long gone; you've really grown up, and I'm proud of you. If your family can't see that then fuck them," Amelia nods as tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"Thank you, for always believing in me," Amelia chokes out.

She hates lying to her friend, but she can't drag anyone down in her web of lies.

She has to get out of town, now.

Seattle:

Derek feels like he's been walking in a fog bank since he left his divorce meeting. Addison is moving, or at least thinking about it. He shakes his head as he walks into the hospital, knowing that this Jane Doe case is going to need his undivided attention. He needs to focus, though he pauses when he sees Addison in tears, running off in the opposite direction. He's confused; she seemed so sure of everything when they finalized their divorce this morning. What could've upset her that fast? It's not until he feels the chief's hand on his shoulder that he turns around.

"Chief, what's-"

"This Jane Doe case is pretty rough Shep; I had to take Addie off of the case,"

"Why?"

"Jane Doe is a little girl, around the same age Abigail would be if she…" Derek swallows thickly and nods. Now he gets it; this case is extremely difficult and delicate.

"Shep…the girl's looking like she could be a runaway or the the victim of a kidnapping," Derek feels like wind has been knocked out of him the more he hears details about this case.

"Derek, if you need to-"

"I can handle it chief," Derek nods resolutely; this case will definitely be a welcome distraction for him.

"Shep…"

"I can handle it; I've accepted the fact that my daughter is more than likely…I wanna help another family be reunited with their child if I can," Richard looks at Derek long and hard for a few moments before sighing.

"Alright, but the moment I feel like you're getting too involved, I'm pulling you off the case,"

"Chief-"

"I mean it Derek; Burke's out of commission, I can't have another one of my surgeons…you should talk to Addie, she took it pretty hard," Derek nods, glancing back at where he'd seen Addison rushing past him.

"I will,"

"Good; Jane Doe just got out of surgery. She's still sedated; Bailey and Robbins went in and relieved some of the pressure from her brain. Sloan did a tonsillectomy…"

"Mark's on the case?" Derek frowns.

"Her tonsils were enlarged and he's the best ENT, you know this. Plus, she's got some infections, a couple wounds that could use a skin graft…"

"Richard…"

"He's the best Derek and he's worked here for almost a year now. You should've known at some point you two would end up working on a case together," Well, Richard's got a point there; he can't avoid Mark forever.

"Fine, page me when he's done assessing," With that Derek heads off in the opposite direction.

oOo

Her legs feel like jell-o; she needs to get as far away from PEDs as fast as she can. She vaguely remembers Jane Doe's case from the night Burke was brought in. She ended up with a laboring mom whose pressure went through the roof; she bottomed out on the table. She'd heard about the Jane Doe case in passing, but she's been so caught up in preparing for her divorce and avoiding Mark that she doesn't know the full extent of the case.

"Alright Bailey, what's going on?" Addison is dressed impeccably underneath her lab coat, eight inch Christian Louboutins paired with a cream colored pencil skirt and a white blouse.

"Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd…"

"Please, Dr. Bailey; as of 9:55 this morning I'm just Dr. Montgomery," Bailey gives her a sympathetic smile a look that says they'll be having drinks to discuss her divorce later tonight.

"Right; Dr. Montgomery, this is Dr. Loren Rodriguez, my new intern she's been overseeing Jane Doe's case with Dr. Robbins. You already know Dr. Torres and Dr. Stevens; Torres had to reset some bones that healed incorrectly and Stevens took Karev's place,"

"Karev's off the case?" Addison frowns.

"He left Rodriguez to do all the work while he tried to take all the credit so I took him off the case,"

"Yeah, but not before Rodriguez gave him a shiner," Callie mutters, causing the young intern's face to flush a bright red.

"You punched Karev?" Addison frowns at the intern.

"Karev totally deserved it; you know what an insensitive ass he can be," If Bailey's defending this girl the Karev must've really done something shitty.

Addison hums in agreement before her eyes shift to the new girl as she tries to place a name with a face; she looks familiar.

"I think you were in my OR once…who was your resident before Dr. Bailey?"

"Dr. Ingles, ma'am," The new girl seems…stiff, nervous even. She was like that in the OR Addison remembers.

" _Ah_ , that's where I remember you from; you're the intern I let close during my surgery on the preemie. You were good, you're even luckier to be under Dr. Bailey; you've got the makings to be a great surgeon," Addison says with an impressive nod, causing her to blush.

"Thank you, ma'am," Addison gives the girl a warm smile to help ease some of her nervousness.

"Dr. Montgomery's just fine,"

"Right, thank you, Dr. Montgomery,"

"Rodriguez caught a lot of Jane Doe's injuries; you wanna tell Dr. Montgomery Jane Doe's status?" Loren nods, eager to please the older woman.

"Right; uh, Jane Doe, age unknown; she appears to be between five and seven years old. Police have been unable to locate her parents. She initially came in as a MVA Pedestrian Versus Vehicle trauma with a severe head injury but as we further examined her, we had to put in a chest tube for crushing injuries sustained from the accident. We also found that she had a serious TBI, fractured skull; she had free flowing fluid in her belly, which required surgery. Post op she showed signs of severe tonsillitis as well as fractured and broken bones, bruises and abrasions that appear to be from child abuse…she also showed signs of multiple sexual assaults, which is why Dr. Robbins and Dr. Bailey suggested we page you. She's currently in a medically induced coma post tonsillectomy due to an increased heart rate and a drop in blood pressure during surgery. When she comes to, Dr. Sloan will be examining her wounds deciding on what would be the best course of action for her infections. Dr. Bailey and Dr. Robbins were able to relieve the pressure on her brain, but Dr. Shepherd's still needed for a consult due to her amnesia," Addison sighed heavily.

"You said she came in because of a head injury; is this the kid Joe brought in?" Addison turns to Arizona who nods.

"And the police still haven't found her parents?"

"Um, the police have been investigating and it appears that she either ran away or was kidnapped,"

The world begins to spin when Dr. Rodriguez mentions that this child has been kidnapped on top of her other injuries.

"Addison, are you alright?" Bailey notices how her friend goes pale.

"Bailey, have you…oh, _oh no_ ," The chief notices the look in Addison's eyes before turning his attention towards Bailey.

"Which one of you paged her?" His voice is sharp, confusing the other residents and interns.

"I did chief; Dr. Montgomery-"

"Is to go nowhere near the Jane Doe case, is that understood?"

"Addie…I don't wanna see you on the PEDs until this case is over, understood?" Addison nods mutely before turning on her heels and bolting towards the elevators, pushing past Derek, who looks back at her in shock. The chief pulls him to the side and quietly speaks to him for a few moments.

"You wanna tell me why the hell you just pulled Addison Montgomery off my Jane Doe case?" Bailey's one of the few people who can talk to the chief like this and still keep her job.

"It's for the best that Addison stays as far away from that Jane Doe case as possible," Derek says, causing everyone else on the case to stare at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"What does my Jane Doe-"

"The Jane Doe case is…it hits close to home for Mark, Addie, and I,"

"But what does that-"

"It's not something we discuss Dr. Bailey; please, don't ask Addison about this case, it'll only open up old wounds, for all of us," Bailey watches as Derek heads off to find Addison.

"Tell me you didn't take Shepherd off-"

"No, but if he starts to act strange in any way, you page me. Same thing goes for Sloan, understood?"

"Fine," Bailey says with a shake of her head, completely confused about what the hell just happened.

 _Chapter 7 to follow…_

 **I'm sorry I've been away for so long; real life has been super hectic since my last update. Chapter 7 is in progress so I hope to have it uploaded soon!**

 **Xx**


	7. Chapter 7

oOoOo

Addison's head is spinning by the time she reaches the empty on-call room. She leans forward, losing her lunch in the trash can before collapsing onto the bottom bunk bed. She didn't care that she was sobbing, she couldn't help it. That poor child! The fact that she had a laundry list of injuries couldn't begin to compare to the fact that she'd possibly been taken from her parents. The idea of this child being alone and scared in the world, on top of her injuries, only made her heart ache for her own child. Addison grabbed the pillow, holding it to her chest as she sobbed brokenly, letting a long forgotten name fall from her lips like a whispered prayer,

"Abigail…where are you?"

She cried until she heard the door to the on-call room open; much to her chagrin, it was Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang.

"Oh…Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, I didn't-"

"Please Grey, and I'm not a Shepherd, not anymore," Addison laughed bitterly as she stood, wiping her tears, though she whipped around when Meredith reached out to grab her hand.

"Addison, are you okay?" Meredith looked genuinely concerned as she looked at Addison.

"I'm fine, Grey, now leave me the hell alone,"

"I just-"

"Haven't you done enough already!? I mean, wasn't I humiliated enough when you slept with my husband at prom and made him yell at me in front of the entire hospital when you were dating the vet? Oh, what about when I had the pleasure of finding your panties in Derek's coat pocket? Today, just today Grey, leave me alone. I've already lost enough; you won Derek, can't you just let me mourn the loss of…nevermind just, stay out of my way Meredith," Addison said through gritted teeth as she snatched away from Meredith before storming off, slamming the door behind her.

"O-kay, what the hell was that about?" Cristina stares at the now closed door in shock.

"I, I don't know," Meredith frowned.

"Do you think it's because of the divorce?" Meredith shook her head slowly.

"No, this was different; she was saying a name before we came in,"

"She was? I didn't hear her say-"

"I did; it was barely above a whisper…Abigail I think,"

"Abigail? Why would she be crying over someone named Abigail?"

"I don't know; maybe it was a patient," Meredith shrugged.

"Mm…nah, Montgomery doesn't strike me as one to cry over patients,"

"She does work with babies and small children Cristina,"

"No; Montgomery's not a crier,"

"Well whatever it is must be pretty terrible," Meredith said as she stored the name in her head. Maybe Derek would know why Addison was crying over someone named Abigail.

oOoOo

Mark Sloan would rather not be working today; he should've followed his first instinct and taken the day off. He climbs out of bed, leaving his busty brunette partner still fast asleep. He'd slept with this one on multiple occasions, so she knew what to do when she woke up. There was nothing of any real value in his hotel room, so if she stole anything (not that he thought she would) she'd get nothing more than designer clothes. All of his necessities were either in his car, a safety deposit box at the bank or in his storage unit. He slowly stirred around, gathering his scrubs and signature leather jacket before heading to the shower. By the time he came out of the shower, clad in only a towel, his bedmate was awake and ordering room service. He leans across the bed to greet her with a good morning kiss.

"One day, I'm gonna stop sleeping with you," Callie Torres said as Mark smirked at her.

"Morning to you too Torres; you ready to get this shit day started?" He pulled his scrub top over his head as Callie rolled her eyes at him.

"Are you really gonna pout about today?" Callie stood and stretched her limbs before wrapping the sheets around her.

"My best friends are getting divorced today…"

"Don't you mean best friend? Derek hates you, remember?"

"Don't remind me, especially not today," Mark mutters as he leans forward to tie his shoes.

"Hey, are you okay? I mean, I know today's gotta suck for you but, what about the other stuff you told me, about when you thought Addison was pregnant?"

"I already told you, the test came back negative; she was happy about it," he muttered lowly as Callie gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. She declined to inform him that Addison had just lost a child prior to the pregnancy scare because what Mark needed at the moment was a friend.

"I'm sorry,"

"Yeah, me too…"

Cambridge, October 2005

" _I can't thank you enough for staying at the house with her," Derek said as he and Mark packed the last of Addison's things into her range rover._

" _You should be the one helping her, not me," Derek sighed._

" _I can't go back there Mark, not when I know what happened,"_

" _So you're gonna let your wife go back there, alone?"_

" _She's refusing to stay here for whatever reason," Derek rolled his eyes; he was still confused as to why his wife would suddenly want to leave. He couldn't deal with her when she was in a mood, and to Derek, this was_ definitely _a mood._

" _Did you ask her?"_

" _No, she just said she wanted to leave," Mark sighed and shook his head._

" _What?"_

" _You and your wife were viciously attacked in your home nearly a week ago and somebody kidnapped your kid. Your wife suddenly wants to return back to said home and you don't think to question that?"_

" _Mark, I don't have time for-"_

" _One day, you're gonna wish you'd paid more attention to your wife," Mark muttered._

" _What'd you say?" Derek eyes him suspiciously as Mark shakes his head._

" _Nothin Shep; I just…if I were you, I wouldn't let my wife go back to the brownstone,"_

" _Luckily, I've got a best friend who's willing to stay with her," Derek grinned as Mark smiled back weakly, just as Addison made her way down the front steps._

" _You ready?" Addison simply nods, pressing a quick kiss to Derek's lips._

" _I'll come by and check on you later tonight; I've got a surgery in an hour," Addison pulls back and stares at Derek in disbelief._

" _Are you serious Derek?"_

" _Addison, don't,"_

" _Our daughter went missing a week ago and you're already going back to work?"_

" _I can't just…Abby wouldn't want me to-"_

" _Abby would want you to actually act like you miss her, not throw yourself into work!"_

" _Oh, I should be like you then? Sitting around miserable all day?" Derek instantly regretted the words as soon as they tumbled from his mouth._

" _Addie, I…"_

" _And this is exactly why I'm going back to the brownstone, I can cry and be miserable without being judged. My child is missing Derek, so I'm sorry if I don't feel like throwing myself into work because I'm too much of a coward to deal with reality," She doesn't give him an opportunity to say anything else before she's sliding into the passenger side of the range rover as Mark gently closes he the door behind her._

" _You're really fucking this up Shep; you need to fix it," He shakes his head at his best friend before climbing into the driver's side and pulling off._

oOoOo

Mark is sullen from the moment he steps foot into the building. He doesn't bother flirting with nurses like he usually does; he doesn't even bother with harassing the interns. What he does do is yell; he yells a lot today. He only starts to feel better when he sees Addison around lunchtime. She looks…fairly happy. She looks like she's at peace with the world and it helps his mood shift, at least until he gets a page from Dr. Bailey.

"Dr. Sloan, so nice of you to join us today; I hope you've left your sour disposition in the plastics department," Dr. Bailey is one of the few people Mark tries not to cross.

"Don't worry Dr. Bailey, I promise to be on my best behavior today," Mark gives that really cute intern, the one who just transferred to Bailey's service, a sultry smirk. That smirk turns into a grin when he notices her cheeks redden.

"Dr. Sloan our patient is a child, not Dr. Rodriguez," Arizona reminds him, causing him to roll his eyes.

"I wouldn't mind being Rodriguez's doctor," He mutters, earning himself a smack on the arm from Callie.

"Glad somebody's able to keep him in check besides Addison; now if you're done ogling my intern, I'd like to get to the case at hand," Mark snaps his attention towards Dr. Bailey.

"Right, sorry; you paged me about the Jane Doe patient?"

"I did; she was initially Dr. Robbins patient but Dr. Torres and I had to step in to oversee other parts of her care. I have to warn you now Sloan that this is a sensitive case,"

"Okay…"

"I mean it Sloan; the patient is a child, a very small child who's been through hell," Mark stares intently as he listens to Dr. Rodriguez or Loren as her badge reads, rattle off her laundry list of injuries.

"Jesus Christ; where the hell are the parents?"

"We don't know; the police are treating this as either a runaway or a kidnapping case," The words nearly floor Mark.

"Did, did you say kidnapping case?" Loren nods, though she tilts her head to the side as she studies him.

"Mark, are you okay?" Callie's hand is gently placed on his bicep as he blinks himself out of thoughts from long ago.

"Uh, yeah; I don't do so well on kidnapping cases, those are the worst,"

"Didn't know you actually had feelings about things other than sex Sloan,"

"Oh I've got plenty things to feel, just ask Torres," Arizona rolls her eyes in disgust, but not before sending Callie a look of disappointment.

"What the hell was that look about?" Mark mutters.

"Don't ask, now pay attention to the case," Mark focuses his attention on his purpose of being there. Jane Doe has some serious burns and other bruises going on as well as a complicated case of tonsillitis, which causes Mark to let out a low whistle.

"Oh yeah, you were right to page me; those tonsils have gotta come out immediately. I assume you've already booked an OR?"

"She's being prepped as we speak," Dr. Bailey informs him.

"I'll go scrub in and meet you all in there," Bailey nods as she, Callie, and Arizona head off to make sure Jane Doe is ready for surgery.

Mark looks over Jane Doe's charts one final time, glancing over at the new intern every now and then.

"I've been here for a while now and I know all of Bailey's interns and I have _never_ seen you before,"

"I just transferred to her service," Her voice is soft as she brushes her hair behind her ears.

"Hm. who was your resident before you ended up on Bailey's service?" He watches as Loren pauses, tenses to be more exact before turning to face him.

"I was Dr. Ingle's resident,"

"Ah, Ingles; exactly why did she quit the program?" Loren shrugs her shoulders, carefully avoiding Mark's gaze.

"I don't know; we never got an explanation about it. The chief just told us that she'd left the program and that we were being reassigned,"

"Well, you're lucky; Bailey's one of the best damn residents there is. You stand a better chance at passing your intern exams and your boards,"

"That's what everyone keeps telling me,"

"It's the truth; now, what do you say we go and save this kid's life huh?" Loren nods and reluctantly follows Mark down the hall and into surgery.

Manhattan:

" _He's eventually gonna find out y'know," Mark glances over at Addison as they pull away from Derek's mother's house._

" _At this point Mark, I really don't give a damn," Addison's face is pressed into the glass of the car window. She's brooding, so he knows she doesn't mean those words._

" _You care, you're just-"_

" _Y'know, I heard his mother talking earlier today,"_

" _And, what'd she say?" Mark gently reaches across the console to rub Addison's thigh._

" _Nothing, it's not important; did you know that my parents put out a $500,000 dollar reward for word on Abigail's disappearance?" Mark stares at Addison like she's grown a third head._

" _What? Are you serious?"_

" _Yeah, that's what I heard Derek and his mother talking about. She thinks I'm being pathetic Mark. She thinks that just because Derek can get out of bed and be fully functioning that I should be too," Mark reaches out and gently strokes her thigh._

" _I'm sorry Red; she shouldn't have said that,"_

" _Thank you!"_

" _But you should've at least told Derek about it," Addison sighs heavily and shifts so that Mark can't touch her._

" _I get that your mad Addie but-"_

" _I'm not mad Mark, I'm pissed off! Someone took my child, someone took my little girl and Carolyn thinks that I should be able to do anything besides lie in bed and…I'm barely alive right now; where is she? Why would someone take her like that what if…oh, God what if she's-"_

" _Hey, don't say that; she's not dead, alright?"_

" _Mark it's been a week and we haven't heard anything; you know what police say about cases like this,"_

" _I'm not believing it; I'm refusing to believe it until they…and even then I won't believe it until I'm looking at her,"_

" _We shouldn't even be having this conversation," Addison sighs, still keeping her eyes focused on the quickly moving scenery in front of her as Hoboken slowly turns into Manhattan._

" _You're right, we shouldn't be talking like she's…but don't worry, we won't be talking about this much longer because they're gonna find her,"_

" _You think so Mark?"_

" _I promise you; she's a fighter, just like her mom. Wherever she is, I'm sure Abby is okay,"_

 _God he hopes she's okay._

Seattle:

"You were good in there Rodriguez," Mark gives the cute intern a smile as they scrub out of surgery.

"Thanks; I'd heard that you were good-"

"Trust me, I'm good at lots of things," Loren blushes profusely but manages to maintain a level of professionalism.

" _What I meant_ , was that I heard that you were a good _surgeon_ , the best in your field," Loren is quick to emphasize the word surgeon.

"Well lucky for you, you heard right," Mark is leaning against the wall watching her.

"Dr. Robbins says I should stay away from you, so did Izzie Stevens," Loren is very focused on scrubbing out.

"Eh, Stevens is going off of the rumor mill and Robbins just needs to some good di-"

"Sorry Sloan, but I'm not a fan; Rodriguez, go page Dr. Shepherd and let him know that we've finished the surgery," Loren nods, leaving Mark alone with Arizona.

"So, you play for the other team huh?" Arizona rolls her eyes at him, not bothering to respond just as Dr. Bailey comes into the scrub room.

"You just don't know how to leave well enough alone, do you?" Mark sighs heavily and shakes his head.

"I haven't done anything, honest," Mark shrugs.

"You're the reason the chief created that no fraternizing rule y'know,"

"Wouldn't be the first time it's happened,"

"You just don't get it, do you? You're bad news around here Sloan; you slept with your best friend's wife-"

"Whoa, if Derek had just done his goddamned job and come home to his wife and kid then-" Mark pauses when he realizes his misstep.

"What the hell are you talking about? Addison and Derek don't…oh, _oh_ ; _that's why the chief took Addison off the case_ ," Bailey's just put two and two together.

"Shit, Dr. Bailey I-" Mark runs a hand across his face and sighs heavily.

"Dr. Sloan, _Mark_ …"

"They don't…we don't talk about it," Mark looks down at the floor when he speaks and for a split second, Bailey seems sympathetic.

"I guess I don't know you at all Sloan,"

"Nobody does," Mark mutters.

 _Chapter 8 to follow…_


	8. Chapter 8

Derek's head is still spinning from this morning; Addison is considering moving to Los Angeles. That was perhaps the biggest shocker of all, aside from the fact that he paused when it came down to signing the divorce papers. Of course he signed, but why did he pause? Immediately, he chalks it up to being married to Addison for 11 years. Still, though, this is the second time he's hesitated on signing divorce papers. She'd brought them with her when she first arrived in Seattle, nearly two years ago. He didn't sign then and he almost didn't sign them today.

He loves Meredith, wants to be with Meredith, so why did he hesitate? Besides, isn't Addison supposed to be sleeping with Mark again? At least, that's the rumor that's been going around the hospital. But there was also talk about shameless flirting between she and Alex Karev. No, that can't be true, because Karev is…well, let's just say if Alex Karev were the last glass of water, Derek is more than sure his wife (ex wife) would rather die of thirst. With Karev eliminated, that leave Mark; she's got to be sleeping with him again. They're too close, they arrive to the hospital together in the mornings, they sometimes leave together. He's even caught them having drinks at Joe's a time or two. But then again…Mark is also rumored to be sleeping with Callie Torres, who is still legally married to George O'Malley.

Derek shakes his head; Mark and Addison's love lives (especially Mark's) are too complicated to try and figure out. His current task is making sure that Addison's alright; that Jane Doe case had to have been hard for her. If he's honest, just hearing about it makes it harder for him as well. Still, he's not going to turn down a case, especially if he can help some family be reunited with their child. He's so caught up in his thoughts of Addison and Mark and the Jane Doe case that he literally runs into a small mass, Meredith.

"I'm so sorry Mere, I didn't see you," Immediately, he's kneeling down to help her up while Cristina picks up her charts.

"You've got a lot on your mind," Meredith brushes off her clothes after she stands.

"Yeah; the chief put me on that Jane Doe case," Meredith glances at Cristina for a moment before evenly replying,

"Yeah; Bailey and Dr. Robbins pulled Sloan and Addison as well,"

"The chief actually pulled her off the case," Meredith hums quietly.

"Speaking of Addison, have you seen her?"

"She was uh, in an on call room…"

"Great, thanks, which-"

"Okay, so I know she's your ex wife and she kinda hates me for the whole panties in the coat pocket thing but, she seemed really upset," Derek can imagine, the case knocked the wind out of him as well.

"Kidnapping cases are…very sensitive for Addison," he hates that he can't say for him too, but this isn't about him. This is about making sure that Addison is okay.

"I walked in on her in one of the on call rooms and…she said a name, Abigail I think," Meredith is staring at Derek intently and he does all that he can not to break at the mention of her name.

"Derek, is everything okay? You're wearing that look, the one where you're in pain," Meredith's hand is only his shoulder and immediately he pulls back as if he's been burned, unable to see the pain of rejection in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Mere but, I have _got_ to find Addison," He doesn't give her time to speak; he turns on his heels in search of his ex wife.

Cambridge, October 2005

 _The ride to Manhattan is driven in relative silence; Addison aimlessly checks her emails while Mark's focus is on the road. The radio quietly lulls on about the latest game, giving out the stats and highest scores of the top players._

" _You okay over there?" Mark reaches a hand across the console to gently touch Addison's thigh. She looks up at him, the look in her eyes unrecognizable but in an instant it's gone._

" _Her hair," Mark looks at Addison questioningly._

" _Abigail, it's time for her to go to the salon to get her haircut; we make an appointment to go every three months on the 15_ _th_ _; today's the 15_ _th_ _," her voice is comes out in a broken whisper as she tries to hold back her sobs._

" _They'll find her Red," Mark murmurs, trying his best to soothe her pain, but it's not working._

" _Mark, it's been almost a week and the detectives haven't said anything. All they told us was that the house was no longer under investigation and that we were free to go back," Mark takes a deep breath, keeping his eyes on the road before he asks,_

" _D'ya think it's wise to go back Addie? I mean, her room is still-"_

" _I can't really remember what her room looked…looks like. The last thing I remember is that she woke up, presumably to go to the bathroom and…she was so scared she wet herself," This time Mark's hand reaches over to fully squeeze her hand and she gratefully squeezes back._

" _I can't imagine what you're going through Red but, I believe they'll find her, she's a smart kid. She'll find her way back home, I promise you that," Addison shakes her head sadly._

" _Mark, she isn't some puppy who wandered off…we were working on teaching her our address. She doesn't know how to cross the street just yet, she's, she's never been anywhere without you, me, or Derek. She's alone Mark, she alone, and probably scared, wondering 'where's mommy'? And I'm not there to comfort her, I'm not…I don't know where my child is Mark and that, that is by far the scariest feeling in the world. I haven't held her, smelled her hair, heard her voice, or her laugh in almost a week. I know they say to have hope, but once the 24 hour mark passes, the changes of them finding her alive…"Addison allows her voice to trail off, leaving room for Mark to speak._

" _Now, I'm not the most religious guy on the planet but, I don't think God would just…let Abigail get kidnapped and die. She's gonna come home Addie, I believe that," Addison leans forward and presses a kiss to Mark's cheek, quietly whispering,_

" _Thank you Mark,"_

oOoOo

Mark Sloan has never been so relieved to get out of an OR in his life. He's done a tonsillectomy a million times in his career, but to do one on a small child that was said to be a kidnapping victim was a whole other ballgame. It took everything inside of him for his hands not to shake as he did the procedure. Thankfully, Jane Doe was draped so that he couldn't see her face. He's been briefed that this surgery isn't the only thing he's needed for. Jane Doe's got some bruising and scarring that could possibly be infected and will more than likely need his expertise. He may hate these types of cases, but he's more than willing to help out this poor kid. While Jane Doe is at the forefront of his mind, there's also a certain redhead he's been thinking about as well.

"Addison told Meredith about Abigail," Mark looks up from his post op notes at the sound of Derek's voice. His eyes immediately glance around to make sure no one is privy to the conversation they're about to have.

"What? There's no way Addison would-"

"Meredith knew her name; she said Addison mentioned it to her," Mark sighs heavily and shakes his head slowly.

"Meredith must've heard wrong because Addison would _never_ -"

"Okay, so she didn't say Addison told her about…she asked me who she was," Mark rounds on Derek, meeting his eyes waiting to see what type of response his former best friend would give.

"I…I left; I didn't answer and went looking for Addison instead," Mark snorts, mutters under his breath about Derek forever being a coward.

"Did you find her?"

"No, she's not answering her cell," Mark doesn't bother to look at Derek, instead whips out his phone and dials Addison's number.

"Dammit, straight to voicemail, lemme try her again," Mark walks over to the side, hoping that Addison will this time answer. When he is met by her cheerful voicemail he leaves a message,

"Addison, it's me; Derek and I are worried, call me back Red,"

"Did she answer?" Derek's eyes are filled with worry and that causes Mark to lose it.

"Oh, so now you're worried about your wife?" Of course Derek scoffs and rolls his eyes at Mark.

"She's my ex wife, Mark; she divorced me,"

" _Do you hear yourself_? You checked out of your marriage long before Abby went missing," Derek sighs heavily and shakes his head.

"I don't wanna do this Mark, not now," Mark lets out a frustrated growl before he relents.

"Fine; I've gotta go check on Jane Doe," Derek reaches out a touches his arm just before he walks away.

"How bad is it Mark? Give it to me straight; I need to be prepared when I do my consult," Mark watches his friend intently, watches the way his Adam's apple bob up and down out of nervousness.

"It's…you can't prepare for it Shep; it's like Vietnam and you're a war vet. That girl is around the same age Abby would be if-"

"Yeah, I know," Both men hang their head in silence for the little girl that they both loved.

"Who the hell would do something like that to a kid?" Mark wonders aloud.

"What do you mean?"

"When they read off the laundry list of injuries and traumas…possible sexual assault, the cops are treating this like a kidnapping case…"

"Do you think she'll survive?" Derek has a look in his eyes, one Mark doesn't have to ask about; he knows what he's asking.

"She'll live, but as far as how she'll recover from all of this…I'm not sure," Derek sighs heavily as he places a hand on Mark's shoulder.

"That's what I thought…did you know Addison was thinking of moving to LA?" Mark gives him a sheepish smile.

"Oh, right, of course you knew," Derek shakes his head, envious of how much his best friend knows about his wife (ex wife).

"She's planning a trip to LA soon, just to, y'know visit, see if she likes the practice,"

"Yeah; I still can't believe Sam and Naomi own a co-op in LA," Derek chuckles.

"It suits them, Nae never could handle the hustle and bustle of New York," Mark smiles.

"And Sam would go anywhere Naomi would…"

"They're divorced," Derek's head jerks up sharply to look at Mark.

"What?"

"Addison told me; Sam and Nae have been divorced…almost as long as you and Addison, if not longer,"

"Wow, are any of our old friends still together?"

"Weiss and Savv are still hanging in there," Mark says with a shrug.

"Yeah, but they're hanging by a thread, especially after Savv's double mastectomy and hysterectomy,"

"They've been doing great since then, thinking about adopting a kid or two…"

"Lemme guess, you talked to them too?"

"What? No, Savvy still hates my guts for sleeping with Julia Prescott back in med school and, well, she blames me for you and Addison's breakup," Mark says with a shrug.

"That wasn't your fault Mark, and I'm sorry," There's a long pause between the two of them; it's the first time Derek's openly apologized for letting him take the blame for the destruction of his marriage.

"…I gotta go check on Jane Doe, I'll see ya around Derek," Mark quickly gathers his things and heads in the direction of the Pediatric ICU where Jane Doe is recovering, leaving Derek alone to ponder his thoughts about everything that's happened recently.

 _Chapter 9 to follow…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Strong sexual content ahead.**

* * *

Manhattan, 2005

 _By the time they get back to the brownstone, the rain is pouring down and Mark pulls the car into the garage. Mark pauses when he notices that Addison is still sitting inside the truck._

" _Addison?"_

" _She's scared of the rain," It's a quiet admission of a thing but he knows what 'she' Addison is referring to._

" _Y'know, I remember the last time I watched her; it rained that night too," He leaves the door to the truck open but climbs back inside, reaching over to touch her hand._

" _I'd put her to bed; I think Derek was in surgery and you were at some fancy gala. Your babysitter bailed at the last minute and you begged me to watch her," The story puts a smile on Addison's face._

" _I bribed you with unlimited amounts of pizza and beer," Mark grins at the memory as well._

" _But you knew I would've done it anyway," Addison nods._

" _I did; she had you wrapped around her finger," Addison shifts uncomfortably in her seat._

" _She still does Red,"_

" _Mark…"_

" _Anywho, I came over and you were rushing out the front door. Abby had the sniffles so she was extra cuddly that night. We sat on the couch and binged watched reruns of the Backyardagins, Dora and Blue's Clues until she fell asleep. She slept for a good 45 minutes before she jumped up screaming because-"_

" _Lemme guess, lightning struck?" Addison is still wearing the faintest of smiles as she fills in the memory for herself._

" _You know it; I was in the den catching up on some ESPN in the den when I heard her scream, and I mean she was full on screaming by the time I walked back into the living room. I did everything I'd normally do when she got scared and d'ya know what worked?" Addison smiles and shakes her head._

" _I had to walk around singing London Calling to her while she clung to me for dear life," Addison turns to face him._

" _You sang a Clash song to her?" Mark shrugs sheepishly_

" _It was either that or a Metallica; I could've sung her Dixie,"_

" _You mean that god awful song about living in the south?" Addison scrunches up her nose at the thought of it._

" _Hey, my grandpa sang that to me when I was a kid," Addison raises an eyebrow._

" _But you're a New Yorker,"_

" _I may be but, my mother's folks were southern people; great-great grandpa fought alongside Jefferson Davis and whatnot," Addison rolls her eyes._

" _Well, I'm glad you chose a clash song and not that…though now I'm wondering if you ever-"_

" _Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton…" Addison laughs, lets out a full-bellied laugh at the sound of Mark Sloan trying his best to do a country impersonation of his grandfather._

" _You're terrible!"_

" _Look away, look away, Dixie Land…" Mark's voice comes out in a deep baritone sound that has them both doubling over in laughter which dies down after a few moments._

" _Never tell anyone that you know that song," Addison wipes tears of laughter from her eyes as Mark grins._

" _After my grandpa died my parents completely banned the song from our house,"_

" _And with good reason; Mark, the song is completely racist,"_

" _It may be, but it got me to sleep many nights after my mom died and my old man never got off the couch again,"_

" _I'm sorry, that your mom died and your dad stopped caring," Mark shrugs lightly._

" _Doesn't matter; if that hadn't happened, I might not be who I am," Addison leans across the console to kiss him. It's soft and chaste and Mark knows he shouldn't be doing this but he can't help it and kisses her back._

Seattle

Derek ignores the stares he gets from nurses when he asks if they've seen Addison. He has to find her, has to know why she would tell Meredith something that they vowed never to talk about again. Okay, well, 'never' is a strong word; it just became an unspoken rule between the three of them after they all moved to Seattle. And so to know that Meredith even knows her name leaves him wondering what else Addison could've possibly let slip. It takes some time but Izzie Stevens lets him know that she's seen Addison go into an on-call room up on neonatal. He finds her, just as she pulling off her button-down blouse.

"Addie I…oh, sorry," He's polite enough to cover his eyes and close the door behind him.

"I was just about to head to surgery," Addison shakes her head at the sight of him with his eyes closed.

"Oh come on, we were married for 11 years, it's not like the sight of my bra will-"

"Meredith knows, about Abigail," He doesn't mean to blurt it out but he does; he has to know why she would say something. He also doesn't miss the way all color seems to drain from Addison's face at the mention of their daughter.

"She must've heard me say when I was-"

"Why did you say it, Addie?" Addison looks at Derek as if he'd grown a third head.

"Are you kidding me? Why would I…I'm allowed to think about her, Derek; she was my child!" Derek lets out a sigh of frustration; this was going wrong fast.

"I didn't mean…she asked me if you were alright is all; she said you mentioned the name Abigail," Addison's face turns hard as stone.

"Your girlfriend should learn how not to eavesdrop when people are crying,"

"Why were you-"

"The Jane Doe case got to me…Derek, she's the same age-"

"I know Addie, I know," Derek sighs heavily as he moves to sit on the bed next to her; he holds out a hand for her to take and she takes it.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad Richard pulled you off the case," Addison whips her head around at to stare at him in disbelief.

"Wow,"

"I didn't mean any harm Addie but-"

"You didn't want me on the case because you're scared that I'm gonna let it slip that we had a kid," Her voice is bitter when she brings up Meredith not knowing about Abigail.

"I didn't mean what I said, I just assumed-"

"It wasn't a one night stand," Addison admits, nearly flooring Derek.

"What?"

"Mark and I, it wasn't a one night stand; I was in love with him…or, at least I thought I was. After you left we lived together for two months. I wanted to believe that we could make it work, that I hadn't thrown my marriage away that I hadn't thrown my life away on a fling. But he's Mark and well, I caught him with someone else and, then Richard called," And there's something in the way she says it that lets him know her admission was deliberate, that she said it to hurt him.

"I came here to talk to you, to see if you were okay but now, all I want is for you to take the job in LA so that I never see you again," There's a pain in Derek's eyes but Addison's look hollow as she shakes her head at him.

"I assume this is the part where you leave? Because leaving is what you do best," Derek shakes his head at her before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

Manhattan, 2005

 _He stood and watched Mark pull off with Addison, silently hoping that some time alone would help her. He sighs heavily as he heads back inside; Addison's words about her being able to cry and be miserable without being judged are constantly ringing in his head. Suddenly, it hits him: she'd obviously overheard the conversation he'd been having with his mother. He runs into Amy on his way to the kitchen and decides to prove his suspicions true._

" _Amy, before Addie left, what was she doing?" He doesn't really talk much to Amy but she seems to be getting her life together; she's sober and in med school._

" _She and I were talking and I may have mentioned that her parents had offered a $500,000 reward for information about Abby's whereabouts," Derek sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair as Amelia cringes._

" _Was I not supposed to say anything?" Derek shakes his head._

" _What'd she do after that?"_

" _She went downstairs but then she came back upstairs, called Mark and started packing her things…why'd she leave?" Amelia leans casually against the staircase._

" _She probably overheard my conversation with mom…who may have had some strong opinions about how Addie's handling things," Amelia rolls her eyes and shakes her head._

" _Well now I understand why she bolted outta here so fast; exactly what did mom say?" Amelia raises an eyebrow; she's always been protective of Addison._

" _Mom may have compared how I'm handling things by going back to work and that Addie-"_

" _What? Is so distraught that someone broke into her home, attacked both you and her and then took your kid that she's in no shape to work or act like everything's fine?" He can see it in Amelia's eyes, the heat and anger she feels towards their mother._

" _Amy…"_

" _No, Derek! Her child is missing! Hell, your child is missing; honestly, if it were me I'd probably be just as bad off as Addie, maybe even worse. Mom had no right to say what she said and you should've told her!"_

" _Told me what?" Both siblings turn around at the sound of Carolyn's voice._

" _Nothing ma," Derek, ever the peacemaker tries to defuse when he knows will be World War III._

" _You had no right to criticize how Addie's handling things mom," Derek swears silently; so much for trying to keep the peace._

" _Is that why she ran out of here, because of what I said?" Carolyn looks pointedly at Derek who nods._

" _Derek, I didn't mean any harm," Amelia snorts._

" _I didn't; I just…this is a lot on all of us and Addie shouldn't shut herself off from people,"_

" _And you thought that going to work as if everything was okay would be good for her? She's not like you ma," Derek turns to his baby sister and gives her a sharp glare; he knows exactly what Amelia is referring to._

" _Amy…that was low and you know it," Caroly holds up a hand to stop Derek from reprimanding his sister._

" _No Derek, it's alright; Amy has a right to feel how she feels. When your father died I wanted to do just like Addie, curl up in a ball and die. Not just for me, but for the two of you; Derek, you had just become a young man and Amy, you were just a baby," Carolyn's throat grows tight at the thought of her husband Christopher's death._

" _Ma…"_

" _No, Derek; I never meant to hurt Addie, but I didn't wanna see her waste away. I know she's hurting; I may not have lost a child but I do know loss, and if I hurt her then I owe her an apology…and I owe you one too, Amelia. I know that when your father died I became cold, distant almost in some instances, which is exactly why Addie needs family, she needs a sense of normalcy, even if she doesn't see patients, just getting a breath of fresh air could do her a world of good," Carolyn moves towards Derek first, tenderly placing a hand on his cheek._

" _You're just like me; don't shut her out Derek, I may have opinions about Addie, but she's your wife and this is hard for her. You should go home, make things right with her and for god's sakes, get her some help. I can't image how she must be doing all alone in that house,"_

" _Mark's with her ma," Carolyn's expression changes for a split second._

" _Mark is a good man, but he's not her husband; you are. After your surgery, go home to your wife Derek,"_

 _oOoOo_

 _He'd done exactly what his mother had suggested and went home; he was still a bit wet from the rain; his umbrellas were at home. When he opened the door, everything shifted; he felt as though he were having an out of body experience. The house was quiet but he knew, almost immediately he knew something was wrong. Something inside of him urged him to go upstairs and so he did. He paused when he got to the bottom of the staircase, he leaned forward and picked up a man's coat. His heart sunk; he prepared himself for what he was about to find. However as he examined the jacket more closely, he suddenly felt rage. There was no way, there was just no way. Derek dropped the coat back on the floor and headed up the stairs. 14 steps, that was all it would take to change his life forever. He paused when he got to the top of the landing; his eyes darted to the last door on the left, which was Abigail's room. He began to head towards it, but a sound pulled him down the hall._

 _A moan, a soft moan._

 _Taking a deep breath, Derek turned around and headed in the opposite direction. He knew what he was going to find when he opened his bedroom door, but it didn't prepare him for what he would see. He stood still for a moment, listening as the sounds from behind his bedroom door grew louder; a creaking headboard, the slapping of skin, his wife's moaning, moaning his best friend's name. He pushed the door open just a tad bit further and there it was, his worst nightmare confirmed; his wife, on top of his best friend, riding him, and Mark, the son of a bitch, with his hands all over his wife as she was caught up in euphoric bliss._

 _It was Mark who saw him first._

" _Shit, Derek I'm sorry," it was followed by a gasp from Addison._

 _Derek said nothing; he turned around and left the room._

Seattle:

Derek is furious, absolutely furious as he storms the halls of the hospital. He's looking for one person and one person only. As fate would have it, Mark is looking for him too.

"Derek-" He doesn't allow Mark to finish his sentence before his fist is colliding with his face.

"What the hell?!" the new intern Loren Rodriguez had been with Mark and seems to be taken aback by what just happened. Mark however simply wipes the bit of blood that's dripping from his nose.

"I take it you found Addison," Mark seems unphased and it angers Derek, causes him to shove Mark into the elevator door.

"You're a filthy piece of trash; you and Addison deserve one another," Derek's eyes are filled with rage as Alex Karev and George O'Malley pull him away from Mark.

"If I were you, I'd stay far away from Mark, he's trash; all he wants is to fuck you and leave, ask my wife," Derek's eyes are trained on Loren, who is kneeling beside Mark to see if he's okay.

"What are you talking about? You think...you think I'm sleeping with him!?" Derek breathing is heavy as he looks around him and at how bad this looks. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees both Meredith and Addison staring at him, though Addison shakes her head and walks away, but not without whispering something to Meredith.

"Shepherd, my office right now! You too Sloan," Richard's voice bellows from down the hallway.

It becomes clear to Derek that this isn't going to end well.

 _Chapter 10 to follow…_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Aren't you guys glad I'm getting better at updating? Lol.**

 **So I was doing a re-read of the story to help me write this chapter and I noticed quite a few things that needed to be fixed. There was a typo in Chapter 1; I had the wrong date listed at the beginning of our flashbacks along with a few other things. So, I'm going back and editing Chapters 1, 2, and 3. You probably won't notice any major changes to the first two chapters, but there's a pretty big scene change in Chapter 3. So if you get alerts saying that there are multiple updates for this story, ignore them; I'm only posting an actual story update for Chapter 10.**

 **Xx**

* * *

Mark Sloan hadn't been expecting to be attacked by his (ex) best friend when he got off of the elevators that day. Thankfully, Derek had only shoved him and punched him; there was now a nasty dent in the elevator. He didn't miss the dirty stares he got from nurses, attendings, and residents; apparently, whatever had transpired between Derek and Addison somehow involved him.

"What the hell are you people staring at? There are lives that need to be saved, now go on, get outta here!" Mark looked down; he was surprised to see Dr. Bailey taking the heat off of him.

"Dr. Bailey I-"

"Just…go get yourself cleaned up and then head to the chief's office Sloan," Bailey's voice was surprisingly kind as she spoke to him.

"Are you okay?" He looked to his left and saw that the new intern was still standing beside him. For a split second, he thought he saw concern in her eyes.

"You heard Shepherd, I'm bad news," Loren gave him a half smile.

"Well lucky for you I have nothing to worry about because I am not nor do I plan on sleeping with you," Mark smirked at her; somehow he knew that wouldn't last very long.

"What the hell did you do to Derek to piss him off? And look at your nose!" Callie Torres was now standing in front of him, reaching up to touch his nose, causing him to quickly swat her hand away.

"Ow!"

"It's more than likely broken; I can-"

"Oh no; you may be an Ortho god but I fix my own nose, got it? You can hold the mirror ; Rodriguez can watch," Callie and Loren rolled their eyes at him but followed him to a nearby exam room.

oOoOo

Derek sat in one of the chairs in front of Richard's desk looking like a child waiting on his punishment from the principle.

"I don't know what the hell possessed you to lose it in my hospital but-"

"Did you know that she was considering taking a job in Los Angeles?" Richard frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who's thinking about taking a job in Los Angeles?"

"Addison," Even the way he said her name spelled contempt, causing Richard to sigh.

"No. I haven't heard anything about Addie supposedly considering a job in Los Angeles. And if she did, she'd be in breach of contract with the hospital, and that could get her sued…what the hell is going on between you two now Shep? When I saw you two this morning you were-"

"She said it wasn't a one night stand with Mark," Richard frowned.

"What?"

"Addison she, she'd probably been sleeping with Mark the entire time," Derek muttered just as Meredith stuck her head into the chief's office.

"What is it, Grey?"

"Dr. Bailey and Dr. Robbins wanted to know when Dr. Shepherd would-"

"Tell them Shepherd and Sloan are off the Jane Doe case," Derek's head whipped up to look at him.

"Richard-"

"Something tells me your little outburst with Sloan had everything to do with…I'm sorry Derek but I can't risk it. In fact, I'm considering having the case transferred from the hospital altogether. It's too much publicity and I can't have my head of neuro and my head of plastics trying to kill one another while my head of Neonatal has a nervous breakdown,"

"Chief…if I may; if you transfer Jane Doe to another hospital, she could die; her injuries are far too severe to move her now. Plus, the police are still investigating the case. I don't know what's going on with Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Sloan and Dr. Montgomery, but I do know that they're the best people to work on this case and putting anyone else on the case could end badly for Jane Doe," Derek turned and looked at Meredith as if she'd grown a third head; surprisingly, the chief agreed with Meredith.

"If you're not on the case already, but I want you monitoring this case round the clock, and make sure that Shepherd and Sloan don't kill each other," Meredith simply nodded before making her way out of the office.

"She knows; oh god she knows, Addison told her everything," Derek leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Grey didn't seem like she knew anything to me…and why doesn't she know about your daughter? You two are dating aren't you?" The chief raised an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't…I don't talk about Abigail, ever; after you pulled her off the case, Meredith walked in on Addison crying and Addie said Abigail's name. Meredith asked me who she was but…" Derek sighed heavily, allowing his head to rest on his arms.

"Derek, you need to be honest with Meredith; I'm also assuming that you and Addie talked about Meredith knowing?"

"I tried but…that woman she's so…she told me about her and Mark out of spite," Richard gave Derek the side eye before inhaling deeply.

"Derek, Addison has a right to handle Abigail's disappearance, however, she wants to; you can't force her to pretend that her child doesn't exist because you're still hurting," Derek sighed heavily and looked up at his boss and longtime mentor.

"You're right I just…that Jane Doe case…"

"It hurts me too, Derek; Abigail was just as special to me as she was to you three,"

"You three?"

"You may not want to admit it but, Mark Sloan loved that little girl just as much as you and Addison, sometimes more,"

"Yeah, well why didn't his love for Abigail stop him from screwing my wife? It didn't stop me from finding them in my home in my bed in the throws of passion,"

New York, 2005

 _The first thing she feels is shock, followed by guilt and pain._

 _The moment she noticed Derek standing there, watching them, her heart sunk. This wasn't the way she wanted Derek to find out about them. Hell, she never wanted Derek to find out about them; she hadn't intended on sleeping with Mark tonight. It just happened._

" _Addison…" Mark has already slid on his boxers and jeans._

" _Can you go, please?" She can't even look at him right now; Mark sighs and pretends that her rejection doesn't sting._

" _I'm here if you need me Red," When he tries to kiss her, she pulls away. Mark says nothing and heads downstairs. Derek is in the kitchen, staring at him with hatred and contempt. He watches as Mark slithers away like a snake, scooping up his jacket and shirt, mumbling an apology of sorts. Derek, of course, doesn't want to hear it; he doesn't bother looking back at him before heading upstairs to deal with Addison._

 _Addison is at least dressed, in a ratty old clash t-shirt; he isn't sure who it belongs to and frankly, he doesn't wanna know. The first thing he does is waltz right past her and into their closet, grabbing armfuls of her things._

" _Derek, Derek, listen to me; you can't do this. Derek, we have to talk about this," Derek is ignoring her; he's too busy pulling the sheets, his favorite sheets to be exact, off the bed._

" _No we don't," his voice is low and he's barely listening to her as she continues on with,_

" _You have to give me a chance to explain…Derek, what are you doing with my clothes?! Derek, it was one time!" She's following him out of the bedroom towards the staircase; neither one of them spares a glance at Abigail's now closed bedroom door._

" _It was one time, I know that's what people say, that's what always gets said, it's just…I don't know how it happened. I don't even know what I was thinking; he was just, he was just-" Again, Derek doesn't buy that; he's too enraged to listen to anything she has to say. His main focus is getting down the front steps and to the front door._

" _You screw my best friend and all you can say is 'he was just here'?!" He cannot believe this; he cannot believe the bullshit his wife, his wife of 11 years is spewing to him._

 _Now it all makes sense to him; why his mother almost insisted that he go home. She had known something like this was bound to happen. It makes him sick because he had every intention of going home to apologize, to make things right. Now, now he wants nothing to do with her; mother of his child be damned. He pulls open the front door and throws out her things, including the bedsheets._

" _Get out," His voice is calm but menacing and she's standing there at the edge of the stair case a sobbing mess and defies him with the word,_

" _No," So, he says it again and of course she refuses._

" _No, no, I'm not going; we have to talk about this…" somehow, her words become lost over his bellowing of_

" _Get out of my house, now!" She still refuses, anchors herself to the stair case and says,_

" _No, I'm holding my ground! I'm holding my ground; we don't quit, we have to work this out!" It becomes a struggle after that; words are shouted and screamed but it's vague. All he knows is that next, he is forcibly pulling her from the stairs as she cries,_

" _What are you doing?" he knows that her hands must be hurting, because he's got a tight grip on them and then her waist as he shoves her out the door; God, she must have splinters in her feet because she's literally being dragged out of the house. Her cries of 'no' are muffled once he shuts the door._

 _His hands rest on the panel surrounding the door; his breath is labored and heavy. He's even started to sweat a little; he's still wearing his cream-colored trench coat. She's sobbing, calling his name, begging to be let back in. It's still raining outside and their porch has very little covering. It's raining outside, she's only in a thing t-shirt that stops just above her thighs and it's got to be freezing. But Derek doesn't care because exactly 15 minutes ago he found her in his bed on top of his best friend fucking him into oblivion._

 _Time seems to stand still; he's not sure how long he lets her stay out there but his rational mind kicks in and tells him that soon enough she'll develop hypothermia and that they live in a very expensive neighborhood; someone is bound to see and hear something. They're already on the news for having a missing child. The last thing he needs to be is the guy who locked his wife out of the house while their child is missing. He slams a fist against the door before turning around; his breathing is heavy. He can feel the tears prickling in his eyes; the lump has already formed in his throat. He opens the door and she's standing there, tears stained from crying, her hair is frizzled and fuzzy from the rain and she's drenched thanks to the wind. She's sobbing, begging him about how sorry she is._

" _I'm sorry you have to give me a chance; you have to give me a chance to show you how sorry I am," She sort of collapses into his arms. He allows her to lean against his chest, but he doesn't hug her back._

" _I'm sorry okay," And when she tries to go in and kiss him, he pushes her away._

 _He can't imagine doing that, not now and not ever; especially after she'd just…she looks, hurt. He may be angry but he knows that she's hurt over him rejecting her when she's emotional. If the circumstances were different then he would, absolutely comfort her. But after what she'd just done…Derek runs a hand along his face, doing his best to swipe away any angry tears. He runs his hand back and through his hair as no one says anything._

" _I'm gonna go, you stay; I'll get my clothes in the morning," He doesn't know what possesses him to say it but he does. He cannot stay here with her, not a second longer._

" _No, no, no, no; we can survive this. Derek, we can survive this; we're_ … **we're Addison-and-Derek** ," _And there it is, that stupid way that their names had become one over the years; Addison-and-Derek. It was cute at first but as the years passed, so did the name's cuteness._

" _I can't look at you; I look at you and I feel nauseous I just…w-w-w-we're not Derek-and-Addison anymore," And even though he's hurting, even though he hates her fucking guts, he cannot let go of the way he's supposed to automatically changes their names around to annoy her._

" _If you go now if you go now, we are not gonna get through this. If you go now, we don't have a chance. We don't have a chance if you go now if you go…" He stands there and looks at her long, hard and painfully, all he can see is Abigail. And seeing her face in the eyes of the woman he'd loved for nearly 15 years after she'd just fucked his best friend was too much for him to handle._

 _Derek promptly turns around and walks away, slamming the door behind him._

Seattle:

Dr. Bailey finds her on the cat walk, staring out at the people as they come and go into the hospital. She's known Addison Forbes Montgomery Shepherd for quite some time now and likes to consider them as friends of some sort. They sort of have to be friends or at least friend if they've both examined one another's vagina's and Addison has drunkenly cried over finding Meredith's panties in her husband's coat pocket.

"I learned a very interesting thing today," Dr. Bailey matches Addison's stance, though Addison says nothing.

"I why the chief pulled you off the Jane Doe case," Addison says nothing. Bailey tries again because she looks like she could use a friend; someone who's not going to judge her.

"I…I know about your daughter," Addison is silent for a full five minutes before responding,

"Did Meredith Grey tell you that?"

"No; Mark Sloan accidentally let it slip in the scrub room," Addison scoffs, shakes her head but remains face forward.

"I can't begin to imagine-"

"It's been two years, he's been with her nearly two years and she didn't even know," Dr. Bailey moves closer to Addison, almost unable to hear what she said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, our daughter has been missing for almost two years and the first time Meredith heard about her was when she heard me crying in an on-call room," Dr. Bailey's eyes widen, though she quickly schools her face into something more serious.

"Shepherd didn't-"

"For whatever reason, he kept her a secret from Meredith, from everyone here. It's like she never even existed to him," Addison shakes her head, wiping away a stray tear.

"Do you mind if I ask-"

"Our marriage had been wrong for quite some time; long before Mark and I happened and long before Abigail went missing. If I'm honest, I'd say our problems began when I got pregnant with her. We were still young; only 31 and barely done with our residencies. I was doing a double fellowship when I found out and Derek well, he was itching to be chief of surgery someday. We talked about it, about aborting but, in the end since we both agreed that we wanted kids, we decided to keep her. I mean, our best friends Sam and Naomi had somehow managed to successfully raise a child while residents so we thought, or well I thought, why the hell not? I was wrong, I was extremely wrong…" Bailey watches as Addison's hands clench and unclench against the rails; she says nothing, only waits for Addison to continue.

"Abigail was born four days before Halloween in 2000, just two weeks after I'd turned 32. I'd always been skeptical of good of a parent I'd be but…the minute I held her in my arms…"

"You knew huh?" Bailey finally sees a smile on her face, though it doesn't last.

"I was in love with her but Derek? He took a little longer to warm up to the idea. I won't say he didn't love her he just…had a harder time accepting the fact that he was a dad. We argued about everything after that; whether or not she should be baptized or not; he's Catholic and I'm Protestant, though I don't necessarily believe in God in the religious sense and I only go to church on Christmas and he only goes out of obligation for his mother's sake. We argued about bottle feeding versus breast feeding, whether or not we should get a nanny or send her to daycare…I obviously won on the nanny part; daycare seemed so…"

"Beneath you?" Bailey raises an eyebrow as Addison has the decency to cringe a little.

"Not exactly; anywho, I made sacrifices for my career, I worked less hours at the hospital because I wanted to be with Abigail as much as possible. A lot of people expected me to drop my surgical specialty but I was determined. If it meant that I walked around the hospital with a baby on my hip then I did it. Derek was…less hands-on, which is ironic considering he comes from a family where all they seem to do is have babies. The first year was rough but, somehow we made it and things seemed to be okay. We had a system, or rather, I had a system going and Derek just sort of followed along. There were times when I thought we made a perfect little family but, he always crushed my hopes by failing to show up or forgetting holidays, birthdays, anniversaries; mostly anything to do with me he missed,"

"Is this how you ended up with Sloan?" She hates to press but, the story of Addison, Mark, and Derek is compelling, interesting, and all out messy.

"Mark was always there and I knew he'd had a crush on me since med school. He wanted everything Derek had; love, family, a wife. I know it sounds ridiculous but, I've spent more time talking to Mark Sloan than sleeping with him. He's not a bad guy underneath the surface…it's sort of why I fell in love with him, or, well, at least I thought I did,"

"So you and Mark were-"

"We had been together a few months before Abigail disappeared and after Derek caught us we lived together for about two months," Addison hangs her head in shame, obviously not proud of what she'd done.

"What exactly happened to your daughter, if you don't mind me asking?" Addison takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment; Bailey reaches over and squeezes her hand.

"If you don't wanna talk about it-"

"It was the beginning of October; Abby was in ballet and she had a recital that night. Derek of course was a no-show for the performance but managed to show up after we went to dinner. She was so happy to see him; he'd worked nonstop that week. We took her home, put her to bed and we argued. I mentioned wanting to leave and he just…for a moment I saw the man I'd married. We had sex that night and I woke up when I heard someone downstairs. Derek went downstairs while I called the police. I went to Abigail's room to protect her but…the men who broke into our house, they came into her room. I made her hide in the closet and told her not to come out until Derek or I told her it was safe. The last thing I remember is begging them not to hurt her. When I woke up, I found out that they'd attacked both Derek and I and took Abigail,"

"Did the police ever establish motive?"

"They tried, asked us thousands of questions; who could possibly want to hurt us. They interviewed everyone in our family, our friends, people we worked with…"

"How did you two end up here?"

"Derek caught Mark and I in bed together a week after she disappeared. We'd been staying at his mother's house and she wasn't…Carolyn Shepherd didn't like the fact that I'd been holed up in a room since my daughter had gone missing,"

"What?"

"She was never a big fan of mine anyways; I overheard she and Derek talking about what happened and I left. Mark took me home and, well, you know the rest…"

"Shepherd came home, caught you two in bed together," Addison nods.

"And you know, the craziest thing is that when he caught us, he didn't say anything; he just walked away. Once Mark was gone he really let me have it; he took my things out of the closet, tossed them onto the front steps and then physically removed me from our house," Bailey's eyes widened; she never imagined Derek Shepherd to be that kind of man.

"He eventually let me back in but, he left that night and I didn't see him again until I was standing right down there learning about his girlfriend," Addison's hand points down to the entry way of the hospital. Though she wasn't there to witness it, she heard that Addison Montgomery made quite the entrance.

"What about your daughter's case now? Have you two-"

"I did, for a while; I would call the detectives and ask for updates but…the case went cold after six months so, I stopped calling. Of course, there were leads that turned out to be dead ends; they tried contacting me but, I changed my number and never looked back," Bailey is still holding Addison's hand by the time she's done talking.

"I can't imagine that Jane Doe case being easy for you,"

"It wasn't; I miss her, every single day, but I've given up hope of ever finding her alive," Addison sniffles, taking in a deep breath; for the first time since they began talking, she turns to face Bailey.

"Thank you, for listening, Miranda," There's a wet smile that Bailey instantly returns.

"Anytime, and if you ever wanna talk-"

"Actually, I'd prefer it if you kept this to yourself," Bailey nods.

"Of course, of course; your secret's safe with me," Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Meredith Grey.

"Yes, Dr. Grey can I help you?" Meredith looks apprehensive, though her eyes are trained on Addison.

"Dr. Montgomery?"

"Yes, Dr. Grey?"

"The chief wanted me to inform you that you're back on the Jane Doe case," Addison's eyes widen in surprise.

"He, he did?" Meredith nods.

"And what does that have to do with you, Grey?"

"The chief assigned me to the case, says I'm responsible for making sure Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Sloan don't kill one another,"

"Well Grey you can tell the chief that I won't be taking the case; I'm actually going out of town for a few days," Meredith and Dr. Bailey look at Addison as if she's grown a third head.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, well…possibly; I'm going to Los Angeles to see some old friends for a few days,"

"But what about-"

"If the case gets serious I'll be on the first flight back to Seattle," Bailey gives Addison a knowing look which causes her to smile.

"But the Jane Doe case-"

"From what Dr. Rodriguez told me, she needs Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Sloan's help way more than she needs mine right now. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go see Richard about my travel plans," Addison gives Bailey and Meredith a smile before walking away.

 _Chapter 11 to follow…_

 **So, Addison is going to be exiting the story for a little bit. We may check in on her in Los Angeles but I can't be sure. Things are going to start moving a bit quickly in the coming chapters; we're getting ready to wind things down soon. I'm so glad you guys are loving and enjoying this story!**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Xx**


	11. Chapter 11

New York, 2005

 _Derek hasn't called her in two days._

 _He's taken an 'indefinite leave of absence' from work is all that the chief would tell her. His sisters aren't taking her calls, except to tell her what a horrible person she was for sleeping with Mark while her daughter was missing. Nancy was the only one who hadn't read her the riot act; her response was more heartbreaking,_

" _Oh Addie_ ; **how could you**?" _and then she hung up._

 _Bizzy wasn't really talking to her before, but she's definitely talking to her now, especially since she doesn't want word to get out to her friends in the Ladies' Auxiliary that her daughter had had an affair while her child was missing._

" _Find a way to fix this Addison; Abigail can't very well come home to a broken family,"_

 _The Captain was out of the country (aka somewhere screwing one of his many whores) but sent his love. Archer came by to see her; he was surprised that she'd cheat, but he didn't care for Derek much so he wasn't too hard on her. Savvy was her closest companion throughout the whole ordeal, spending several nights at the house with her so that she wasn't alone. But after a week, she had to try and go on with life. And getting on with life meant talking to Mark, something she wasn't quite ready to do. Still, though, she knew she had to; she'd been sleeping with the man for months and couldn't let him take all of the blame for everything. So, she called him; asked him to come by one afternoon._

 _Once he came over, he never left._

 _Mark was the one constant in her life; the one reminder that her life hadn't completely gone to hell. He slept with her, not in the bed she shared with Derek, but in the guest room. It made her life a little bit easier; the house was less quiet, allowing her to pretend that her daughter wasn't missing and that her husband hadn't left her. She didn't go back to work; how could she? Not only was her daughter missing but from what she'd heard, Derek had taken an indefinite leave of absence from the hospital. There was no way she could show up to work without people asking where he was. Not to mention that Derek's Liz and Nancy both had surgical privileges at Mount Sinai and the last thing she wanted to do was run into one of them._

 _She dyed her hair a week after Derek left; Mark said nothing, but she could tell that he thought that she was insane. But still, he stayed, spent every night and every moment he wasn't taking on cases at the hospital with her. Soon enough, her feelings about Derek began to fade and she saw herself settling into a life with Mark. Maybe, just maybe, she hadn't thrown her marriage away._

 _It didn't take long for the metaphorical rug she'd been standing on to be pulled from under her._

Seattle:

She never thought that she'd end up in the back of a squad car. Well, she'd been in the back of one before, but most times she ended up getting off without any charges. This time though, this time they'd gone too far. The car comes to a stop outside of a precinct in Seattle where she's booked on prostitution charges as well as being a 'person of interest' in what they're calling the Jane Doe case. Instead of being taken into lockup, she's placed into an interrogation room where she's left to wait for what seems like hours. Karen knows how this works; she's not talking until she has a lawyer. She looks up from her thoughts when two well-dressed men make their way into the interrogation room.

"Jennifer Reed,"

"That ain't my name; my name's Karen," The detectives share a look.

"Karen Allen, Rebecca Wesley, Maureen Sanders…you've got quite a few aliases,"

"I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Okay then 'Karen', my name's Toby Anderson, this is my partner Detective Smoots," Detective Smoots is a tall Black man who looks like he's had a hard life. He remains quiet, simply leans against the wall watching her.

"I ain't saying anything until I got a lawyer present," Karen pops the gum she'd been chewing on and stares at the detectives.

"You can do this the easy way Jennifer or-"

" _I told you_ , my name ain't Jennifer," Detective Smoots sighs heavily, causing Karen to look at him.

"Something you wanna say, detective?" Karen raises an eyebrow at him; he simply rolls his eyes at her.

"Alright, Karen, Jennifer, whatever you wanna call yourself. You don't wanna talk, that's fine; you ain't gotta talk, we'll do all the talking," Detective Smoots is smooth; he carefully takes a seat in front of Karen and pulls out a thick folder.

"Ya see, we know you were staying at the Columbus Motor Inn the night the little girl was run over," Karen shrugs her shoulders and remains silent.

"We also know that you're involved with Dean Allen…" Karen pauses for a moment; they're trying to trap her. She isn't stupid; she sits back in her chair, still smacking on her gum.

"We know about the three other children staying there-Agnes, James, Jamie...CPS has the kids and the girl is in the hospital; we're trying to figure out who she belongs to," Karen tries to remain calm; they haven't told her about Dean yet.

"Don't you wanna know about Dean?" Detective Smoots leans forward in his seat a bit, an interrogation tactic.

"I don't know him," Karen's reply is cool, though the smirk Detective Smoots sends his partner sends a chill down her spine.

"Oh, so us telling you that Dean Allen is dead shouldn't bother you,"

"What?" Karen's eyes are wide as saucers as she leans forward and grabs Detective Smoots by the lapels of his coat.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Detective Smoots simply laughs and removes himself from her grasp.

"I thought you didn't know him?" With that, he stands and heads for the door.

"Wait! I just wanna know what happened to him, and to the baby," Detective Smoots turns around slowly and grins.

"I'll tell you, but you have to answer a couple questions for me first,"

"Deal,"

oOoOo

Addison can tell that the rumor mill has already started again based on the stares and whispers that occur when she walks down the hall to the Chief's office. She passes Derek, who tosses her a dejected look before moving past her. She opens the door to find Richard frowning, as though he'd expected her arrival.

"What's this I hear about you possibly taking a job in Los Angeles?" Addison sighs and shakes her head, making her way into Richard's office.

"I was just coming to tell you about that,"

"Please, enlighten me, because if you're planning on leaving-"

"I'm considering it," Addison nods. Richard sighs heavily.

"If you do then you'll-"

"I know about the breach of contract Richard,"

"When did you get an offer to go to LA?"

"My friends Sam and Naomi Bennett have a practice in Los Angeles; I've got a scheduled trip to visit them and I told them I'd tour the practice," Richard leans forward and stares her in the eyes.

"Addie…"

"I'm not welcome here Richard; this is Derek's domain,"

"You're the top paid surgeon on the West Coast; you're even more of a hot commodity than Shepherd and Sloan," Addison chuckled; she leaned forward and took Richard's hands into her own and smiled.

"I'd be willing to finish out my contract; I'll just have to fly back and forth between the practice and the hospital,"

"You're really letting him drive you out?"

"He's not driving me out Richard; I don't belong here,"

"He said you told him about Sloan out of spite," Addison sighs.

"He never told Meredith about Abigail," Richard gave Addison's hands a squeeze.

"We talked about that; I told him he doesn't have a right to tell you how to grieve," Addison shakes her head.

"It's not just that it's…this case; did you really put me back on it?" Richard leans back in his seat and stares at her. For the first time since she arrived in Seattle, he looked at her; she was hurting and she was tired.

"You really wanna take this job in LA don't you?"

"I never said-"

"Seattle isn't cutting it for you; you came here for me and then you stayed for Derek and then Mark came and then you found out about Derek and Meredith and now this case…" Addison shakes her head sadly.

"I haven't said yes to the offer; in fact, they haven't made me an official offer,"

"And if they offer you one?"

"I can't say that I'll take it; but I can't say that I'll stay," Richard smiled.

"If I need you for this case-"

"I'll be on the next red eye,"

oOoOo

Mark looked in the mirror and smirked.

"I'd say I did a pretty good job; Whaddya think Torres?" Mark leaned over to Callie and smiled.

"I think you're a showoff," Mark shook his head before turning to look at Loren.

"Rodriguez?" Loren nodded in approval, giving his work a once-over.

"You're good; you're really good," Mark grinned before standing up and popping his back as he heading back to the surgical floor. The first person he ran into was Arizona, who looked less than pleased to see him.

"Dr. Sloan, the police have a few questions for you about Jane Doe," Mark looked over at Dr. Bailey and frowned.

"Why do they wanna question me?"

"They're trying to gather information about Jane Doe's condition in order to help piece together a timeline,"

"What kind of timeline?"

"The police have a woman in question who gave them some information about Jane Doe," Mark nodded.

"Alright then; anything to help put this kid one step closer to finding her family," Mark followed Dr. Bailey down the hall but didn't miss the way Derek stared at him.

oOoOo

The last thing Mark Sloan inspected to be doing today was having a sit down with two detectives.

"Dr. Sloan, I'm Detective Toby Anderson; this is my partner Detective Kevin Smoots," Mark gives each detective a head nod before taking a seat.

"However I can help you guys find this kid's parents and put the sons of bitches who took her in jail I'm all for it," The detectives shared a look before Detective Anderson spoke.

"Dr. Sloan this case is a bit more complicated than that. You were working the night Jane Doe came into the hospital, weren't you?" Mark frowned.

"Uh, yeah; the ER was busy that night,"

"Do you remember this man coming into the ER?" Detective Anderson slid a picture across the table for Mark to look at.

"I think so; this was Derek, Dr. Shepherd's patient," Detective Smoots jotted down some notes on his notepad.

"You didn't work on this man at all?"

"I was there when he came in but I had my own case that night; motorcycle versus car…am I missing something here?"

"From several witness reports we believe that this man, Dean Allen, was involved in some sort of altercation with Jane Doe," Mark snorts.

"You got him in custody?"

"Actually no; he died a few hours after he came in,"

"Good for him,"

"This newspaper was found on Mr. Allen's person. We also have reason to believe that something in this paper led to an altercation between Mr. Allen and Jane Doe. We also think Jane Doe may have been trying to get to the hospital," Detective Anderson slides the newspaper article towards Mark and his heart stops at the headline

WORLD CLASS SURGEON SAFELY SEPARATES CONJOINED TWINS

"Dr. Sloan?" Mark looks up at the detectives in slight shock.

"I'm sorry it's just, this makes no sense; why would Jane Doe be trying to get here?"

"Your eyes gravitated towards the headline; is there a reason why?"

"I know the surgeon who performed the surgery; her name's Addison Montgomery," Detective Anderson and Detective Smoots share a look.

"What can you tell us about Dr. Montgomery?"

 _Chapter 12 to follow…_


	12. Chapter 12

Los Angeles International Airport

"Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking; we have safely arrived at LAX, please unfasten your seatbelts and prepare to unload. Thank you for flying American Airlines, enjoy your stay," Addison smiled at the sound of the captain's voice.

She was finally in LA.

She carefully made her way out of first class and off the plane. The original plan was for her to call Sam and Naomi once she made it to LAX. Instead, Addison decided that she would rent a car and drive around the coast for a while. After the grueling week, she'd had it felt fitting and extremely necessary for her to decompress her mind, at least for a few hours. Grabbing her cell phone and turning it on, she shot Naomi a quick text.

 _I'm in LA, but don't bother picking me up from the airport; I'm renting a car. I need to clear my head before we meet. Text me your address and I'll meet you so we can do dinner._

Yes, she thought to herself, a drive along the coast before heading to her hotel to freshen up was exactly what she needed.

Seattle-72 Hours Earlier

 _Derek was beyond frustrated with the events that led to him beating up Mark near the elevators. He still doesn't know why he lost control the way he did. The conversation that followed with Richard didn't help much, but nothing could've prepared him for seeing Addison, Addison whose eye were red-rimmed and filled with an unexplainable pain. It seemed that she too was headed for Richard's office. The two exes stop in the middle of the hallway and stare at one another for what feels like an eternity. Finally, they both begin to speak, though Derek pauses and allows Addison to go first._

" _I'm leaving; I'm going to Los Angeles. It's uh, it's what I'm headed to see Richard about," Derek is, stunned to say the least. He knew Sam and Naomi had offered her the job, but he wasn't expecting her to take it, not with everything that's going on, not with the way things have seemingly ended between them._

" _Wow, so, you're really going?"_

" _Yeah, after everything that's happened, I need to,"_

" _What about the Jane Doe case?" Addison simply blinks at him._

" _What about it?"_

" _Didn't Richard reassign you to the case?"_

" _I can always get on an emergency flight back here if I need to," Derek sighs heavily, runs a hand through his hair and speaks again,_

" _Look, Addie, if this is about before, about what I said-" Addison smiles and shakes her head._

" _Seattle was your space; I had no right to barge in here like I did,"_

" _Addie-"_

" _Were you happy before I got here, Derek?"_

" _Addison-"_

" _Answer the question;_ **were you happy before I got here** _?" Derek sighs heavily._

" _After what you did, I needed to get away from you Addison," Addison nods her head slowly._

" _So you were happy when you came to Seattle?" Derek shifts nervously but nods._

" _Yes, I was happy before you got here," He watches the tears well up in her eyes before she hits him with a question that completely guts him._

" _Is that, is that uh…why you never told Meredith about…Abigail?"_

" _Addison-" She held up a hand to stop him from interrupting._

" _I just, I need to know, Derek;_ **did she mean anything to you** _? Did_ **I** _ever mean anything to you?"_

" _Don't Addison, don't do that; don't trivialize how I feel about my daughter,"_

" **Felt** _, how you_ **felt** _about your daughter," Derek stares at her, a series of emotions running through him. She's never talked about Abigail in past tense; she's always talked as though Abby were coming home._

" _Were you that angry at me that mentioning her was too much to do? I've walked around this hospital for the better part of two years hiding this, this part of me, half of my heart, half my soul so that your little girlfriend could feel comfortable…" Addison takes a deep breath and stops whatever else she'd wanted to say._

" _I'm sorry, Addison; I never-"_

" _I have to go, Derek,"_

oOoOo

" _What can you tell us about Dr. Montgomery?" Detective Smoots asked; he leaned casually against the glass window in the conference room as he stared at Mark._

" _Whaddya wanna know about Addison?" Again, the detectives shot one another a look._

" _You know her well enough to be on a first name basis with her?"_

" _She's married to…I mean, she was married to my best friend," Mark said, watching as the detectives scribbled down notes._

" _Do you mind giving us the name of that best friend?"_

" _Should I call my lawyer?" Detective Anderson chuckled._

" _No need; these are all standard questions. Relax Dr. Sloan; we're just as eager to help this little girl get home to her family as you are,"_

" _And how does delving into Addison's personal life help you do that?"_

" _Jane Doe and Dean Allen were arguing over this newspaper. Do you think Dr. Montgomery knew either Dean Allen or our victim?"_

" _There's no way in_ **hell** _Addison knew that creep," Mark snapped._

" _You sure about that?"_

" _Positive," Mark said firmly._

" _She might've been seeing him," Detective Anderson said with shrug_

" _From what I hear he was big with the ladies," Mark rolls his eyes._

" _Again, that's impossible because the only people Addison's slept with in the last 17 years are Derek and…"_

" _And?" Detective Smoots pressed, causing Mark to sigh heavily._

" _I_ **really** _don't wanna talk any more detectives; I really hope you find out what happened to that girl," Mark stood and headed for the door._

" _What about Jane Doe?"_

" _What about her?"_

" _Do you think she could've known Dr. Montgomery?"_

"… _No,"_

" _You seemed hesitant to answer that," Detective Smoots said as Mark abruptly stood and headed for the door._

" _I'd really have to take you down to the station for official questioning as a person of interest in this case," Detective Anderson said, causing Mark to turn around._

" **What**?"

" _Apparently there's something you're not telling us about Dr. Montgomery, who is slowly starting to look like she could be a person of interest in this case, which means you're very close to obstruction of justice,"_

" _Addison doesn't know that guy and she was here the night this happened, we all were!" Mark shouted._

" _Who's we?" Mark shook his head._

" _I'm telling you, Addison doesn't know this Dean guy,"_

" _And the girl?"_

" _What about her?" Mark scoffed._

" _Dr. Montgomery's been assigned to the case from what we were told by your chief of surgery,"_

" _Yeah; Addison's good with kids,"_

" _She have any kids?" Detective Smoots asked._

" _No, not anymore she doesn't,"_

" _What do you mean-"_

" _I'm done here," Mark muttered._

" _Dr. Sloan-"_

" _If you're gonna arrest me for obstruction, make sure you've got a warrant because other than that, I'm done," With that, Mark slammed the door to the conference room. His mind was spinning a mile a minute that he didn't register the slightly large mass he seemed to run into._

oOo

" _Watch where the hell you're going!" Mark shook himself from thoughts with the detectives and realized that he'd bumped directly into the last person he wanted to be talking to._

 _Derek._

" _What's wrong with you?" Derek stood and straightened his clothes as he looked at Mark curiously._

" _Nothing, those damn detectives," Mark muttered, suddenly piquing Derek's interest._

" _Detectives? What, did some guy press charges on you after he caught you in bed with his wife?" Mark was prepared to walk away but the dig that Derek made caused him to stop dead in his tracks._

" _What did you just say to me?" Derek smirked._

" _I said, did some guy press charges on you after finding you in bed with his wife?"_

" _No, I just saved your ex-wife from becoming a person of interest in Jane Doe's case," Derek's eyes widened in surprise._

" _What?"_

" _You heard me; I just-"_

" _No, no, no; why would Addison be a person of interest in Jane Doe's case?" Mark pinched the bridge of his nose._

" _The guy you were working on the night Joe brought Jane Doe into the ER…" Derek's brow furrowed as he tried to recall his patient Jane Doe came into the hospital._

" _I think I remember him; what does he-"_

" _They think he's responsible for kidnapping her," Derek nodded as he let out a low hum and a murmur of something Mark didn't quite catch, but knowing Derek the way he did, he could guess that his reaction was similar to his own._

" _Okay, what does that have to do with Addison?"_

" _The police said they were arguing over a newspaper," Derek frowned._

" _Mark, I don't get it; what does-"_

" _Addison was on the cover of the newspaper; they think one of them knows her,"_

" _That's impossible; there's no way Addison knew that guy,"_

" _That's what I said,"_

" _So why are they wanting to investigate Addison if you told them that she doesn't know him,"_

"… _They think Jane Doe might know her,"_

" _Why would they…Mark, please tell me you don't think-" Mark held up his hands and he prepared to walk away._

" _I didn't say anything,"_

" _I know what you're thinking…don't Mark,"_

" _It does make you think though, doesn't it? A little girl around her age shows up at the hospital," Derek shook his head._

" _Mark…"_

" _Stranger things have happened Derek, stranger things…remember the Elizabeth Smart case?"_

" _She was found months later; Abigail's been gone for nearly two years," Mark shook his head._

" _The police are probably gonna wanna question you and eventually they're gonna wanna question-"_

" _She's leaving; she's uh, going to Los Angeles,"_

" _They're already starting to put together an angle to connect Addison to this case,"_

" _Mark-"_

" _They asked me if she ever had kids Derek,"_

" _What did you say?"_

" _I told them she didn't anymore; I left before they could ask me any more questions,"_

" _Mark, why would you even-"_

" _Derek," Mark motioned for Derek to turn around;_ _Meredith was standing behind him, looking very confused._

" _Meredith…"_

" _So...she's your daughter,"_

Los Angeles:

The sun was beaming down on her as she whipped in and out of traffic. The sun was clear blue and the wind felt fabulous. She had found a radio station that played nothing but oldies from the 70's and 80's with the occasional hit from the 90's a few top 40 hits. Naomi had texted and told Addison that instead of meeting up for dinner that they could do lunch instead. So that was how she found herself finding valet parking at FIG over on Wilshire. The restaurant had a pleasant little ambiance to it as Addison made her way inside, where Naomi had already made a reservation.

"Addie," her friend smiled warmly at her as the two embraced.

"It's been entirely too long," Addison grinned as they took their seat.

"It has…how've you been?" Naomi immediately reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hand. They'd talked sparingly since Sam and Naomi moved to Los Angeles. Naomi immediately called when she'd heard about Abigail's disappearance and after the affair and briefly once the divorce papers were signed.

"I've been…" Addison's eyes immediately gravitated towards the television where there was a news report going on.

"… _In Seattle, a woman was arrested and charged in connection with a local kidnapping and human trafficking case. Police say 37-year-old Jennifer Reed, who also goes by Karen Allen, was booked on felony kidnapping charges along with human trafficking, sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, child neglect and child abuse. Reed is said to have worked with 41-year-old Marshall Farmer, also known as Dean Allen in the abduction of four children; the youngest was a 15-month-old girl. Three of the four children are in the custody of Child Protective Services. The fourth child, a little girl, was crucially injured during an altercation with Farmer several days ago. During the altercation, which took place at the Columbus Motor Inn, Farmer was hit by a car and was later pronounced dead at Seattle Grace Hospital. The young girl, whose identity has not been revealed, is said to have escaped Farmer before she too was run down by a car in the parking lot of the Emerald City Bar. She is currently in critical condition at Seattle Grace Hospital. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Seattle Police at (206) 625-5011."_

 _Chapter 13 to follow…_

* * *

 **Things are about to start heating up; Jane Doe is still in a coma and will probably be comatose for a bit longer. In the next chapter, we'll catch up with Amelia who may or may not cross paths with Addison (I'm undecided about that). Also, Derek and Meredith are long overdue for a serious conversation. I can't say that this story is over just yet, but we're getting really close!**

 **Xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Happy New Year Everyone!**

 **I know we're nearly three months into the New Year, but I pray that your 2018 is off to a wonderful start. Things will start to come together in the following chapters. I would like to say that we can be finished with this story by at least chapter 20, but I cannot say that with certainty. I will say that in the next few chapters this story will come to a close and hopefully we can soon start the sequel, which will answer more questions that will and have gone left unanswered. This chapter will include a very serious MerDer conversation as well as we'll see what happened with Addison at the end of chapter 12.**

 **Xx**

* * *

So, she's your daughter…

 _Meredith's words hit Derek like a ton of bricks; the look in her eyes was haunting._

" _Meredith…" His voice was quiet, low, guilty; Meredith simply looked at him, her face an unreadable expression._

" _Abigail; the name Addison said when I walked in on her in the on-call room…" Derek knew where this conversation was headed._

" _Meredith, can we, can we talk about this somewhere that's not the middle of the surgical floor?" Meredith nodded quickly; she carefully took his hand and led him down the hall to an on-call room._

 _Derek was nervous about the conversation that was to come; he had intended to tell Meredith about his daughter. He just wasn't sure when; he thought back to his fight with Addison and her reaction to Meredith not knowing about their daughter._

 **Were you that angry with me that mentioning her to Meredith was too much for you to do?**

 _Why didn't he tell Meredith about Abigail? Initially, it was because talking about Abigail would mean talking about Addison, and at the time he wasn't ready to talk about her, not after what she and Mark had done. Still though, after Addison arrived in Seattle he had numerous opportunities to tell Meredith that he had a daughter. Still, he didn't and now he was looking at the very real possibility of losing her over it._

 _Meredith's voice jarred him from his thoughts; she'd led them into an on-call room quite a distance from the nurse's station. She seemed more ready to fight than to talk if her demeanor were an indicator. She stood in front of him, her posture stiff and rigid; her hands were in her pockets as she stared at him._

" _Meredith, I just wanna say-"_

" _When I told you that Addison mentioned someone by the name of Abigail, that was your daughter, wasn't it?" Derek sighed heavily but nodded._

" _Something apparently happened to her if you and Addison never talk about her…what happened?" Derek could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he moved to sit on the edge of the bunk bed._

" _My marriage to Addison was never really an easy one. I loved her but…I wanted kids almost immediately after we got married but, she wanted to wait. She said that it would be too hard for her to try and juggle a baby and a surgical residency,"_

" _It would've been; look how hard of a time Bailey's having with it and she's the Nazi," Derek smiled faintly at Meredith's comment before continuing._

" _We had friends who did; Sam and Naomi Bennett. They had their daughter, Maya, while we were interns. They own a private practice out in Los Angeles, that's who Addison went to visit."_

" _You said they own a practice…"Meredith said._

" _Sam was a surgical resident in Cardio for a while but then he switched to Internal Medicine. His wife Naomi is an OB and an Endocrinologist,"_

" _Sounds like having their daughter forced them out of surgery," Meredith pointed out as Derek chuckled._

" _I don't know; before I moved here, Addison, Mark and I ran a practice along with my sister Nancy,"_

" **You owned a practice** _?"_

" _Yeah,"_

" _Seems like I don't know you at all," Derek sighed before running a hand through his hair._

" _Meredith, I-"_

" _What happened with you and Addison? I know you told me that she cheated but how does your daughter fit into all of this?"_

" _Like I said, we fought a lot about kids. We both wanted them; she just wasn't willing to budge on when we had them and how we raised them. I think a lot of it was because Addison wanted to be hands-on with our kids. She didn't want the coldness of growing up with nannies like she and her brother did,"_

" _Addison has a brother?"_

" _One, Archer; he's a neurologist," Meredith hummed quietly._

" _Yeah," There was an awkward pause between them before Derek cleared his throat and continued._

" _Like I said, she was insistent on waiting for the 'right time' but ended up getting pregnant until we were in the middle of our fellowships. Isn't that crazy? She wanted to wait until we finished our residencies and she gets pregnant while doing a double fellowship," Derek shook his head as he smiled fondly at the memory. He quickly remembered that he was talking to his girlfriend about his child with his ex-wife. A child said girlfriend knew nothing about._

" _Anywho, Addie got pregnant and had the baby later that year, October 27, 2000. She was originally due on Halloween but Addison worked herself into an early labor. Her water broke on her intern's shoes,"_

" _That sounds…oddly reminiscent of how Bailey's son was born," Meredith chuckled._

" _It does. When Abigail was born it was…" He took a deep breath as memories of his daughter's birth began to overwhelm him._

Manhattan, October 2000

 **Her baby is early, three days early. The doctors had predicted a Halloween baby, but this little girl seemed to be as impatient as her mother. Addison, against Derek's wishes, had planned on working up until her due date. She was doing a double fellowship in neonatal and obstetrics as well as side research on Cystic Fibrosis. There was** **no** **way she was letting this baby slow her down.**

 **But like Bizzy had always told her, "people plan and God laughs"**

 **God must have been having a laugh at her expense because she's been having contractions since last night and now…her water has broke in the middle of a very important surgery.**

" **Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, should we page your husband?" Her intern Kelly looks absolutely pale standing beside her.**

 **Addison's water accidentally broke on Kelly's shoes, which made the incident all the more embarrassing. Addison is in an incredible amount of pain but she can't afford to lose her cool right now, not when she's elbow deep in the intestines of a baby. She takes a deep breath, just as a contraction hits. She pushes through the pain and keeps working. Once the pain has subsided a bit, she turns to face Kelly.**

" **Okay, here's what we're gonna do; you're going to page Dr. Nancy Shepherd-Alexander, she's my sister-in-law. Tell her that I'm an idiot; I've been laboring for the better part of a day and it hurts like hell. Tell her my contractions are four-and-a-half minutes apart and there's no way I'm gonna make it to a birthing suite. You're gonna call Dr. Sloan, have him to go my brownstone and-"**

" **Derek's got your bag in the birthing suite already," Addison's head whips around at the sound of Mark's voice.**

" **How did you-"**

" **Derek, Nancy, and I bet how long it'd be before your water broke…you know he's pissed at you, right?" Mark's voice is casual as he makes his way into her O. R. behind him is Dr. Shelly Wheatley, the woman who's going to be taking over Addison's cases (as well as her current surgery) while she's on maternity leave.**

" **If I live through this, he can yell at me all he wants," Addison allows Mark to help her settle into a wheelchair before wheeling her away.**

" **Hey, Mark?" She stops him just as they start to move down the hallway.**

" **I already gave your intern $50 to replace her shoes…that's gross Addison," Addison rolls her eyes as Mark wheels her up to labor and delivery where 45 minutes later, she gives birth to a baby girl…Derek never does yell at her.**

oOoOo

" _We don't have to talk about it Derek," Meredith's voice was filled with understanding._

" _No, we do; you deserve an explanation. I should've told you the morning after we'd slept together,"_

" _You should have…but you didn't," Derek sighed._

" _I didn't and I'm sorry; Meredith I am so sorry. When I left New York I needed to just…get away from everything," Surprisingly, Meredith moved to sit beside him and took his hand into hers._

" _Derek, what happened to Abigail?"_

" _She was uh, she was four at the time, just a few weeks before turning five. Addison had put her in ballet after Bizzy, that's Addison's mother, got her tickets to the Nutcracker. She was so captivated by it that Addie put her in a class. The night she uh, she went missing, she had a ballet recital. I couldn't make it to the recital because I was-"_

" _Working? Addison mentioned that you were absent a lot," she wasn't accusatory, just curious to know how they had gotten here._

" _Yeah, I worked a lot; like I said I didn't make it to the recital but I did manage to make it to dinner at Big Daddy's Diner. It's on the Upper West Side in New York; Abigail was obsessed with their cheeseburgers and milkshakes. We uh, we took her home that night and…Addison and I fought about me not being around. We eventually made up and went to bed, but around three-a.m. she woke up because she heard a noise downstairs. Sure enough, someone had broken into our home…" Derek paused; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before telling the next part of the story._

" _I uh, I had Addison call the police while I went downstairs…I got beat up pretty bad and by the time I came to, I'd learned that Addison had been assaulted and Abby, she, they took her," By this time Derek was openly weeping._

" _Oh my God, Derek…"Meredith sat next to him, completely stunned._

" _Mere, I am so sorry for not telling you,"_

" _So you haven't heard anything?" Derek sadly shook his head._

" _Addison said after she moved here she changed her number and didn't bother to keep in touch with the detectives,"_

" _But Derek they could-"_

" _My sisters, they keep me updated; the case went cold a long time ago,"_

" _I can't imagine how painful all of this must be for you,"_

" _It's hard; when I left New York I was angry about Addison and Mark. I couldn't bear the thought of knowing that my child was…I'm sorry Meredith, you deserved to know the whole truth,"_

" _I get why you hid it; it's painful. Do I wish I'd known? Yes, but do I get hiding things that hurt? Yes. I let people believe that my mother was traveling the country because I was ashamed that she had Alzheimer's,"_

" _Meredith-"_

" _Family can get a little crazy Derek; I wish you'd told me though,"_

" _I know Mere and I'm sorry,"_

" _Do you think it's wise for the chief to have put Addison back on the Jane Doe case?" Meredith leaned over, resting her head on Derek's shoulder._

" _I don't think that'll be an issue anymore; she's leaving for Los Angeles in a couple of hours and after everything that's happened I doubt she'll be back,"_

" _But Derek, Jane Doe could-"_

" _She made arrangements with the chief should she be needed but other than that, I highly doubt if she comes back,"_

Los Angeles:

"… _In Seattle, a woman was arrested and charged in connection to an ongoing kidnapping and human trafficking case. Police say 37-year-old Jennifer Reed, who also goes by Karen Allen, was booked on felony kidnapping charges along with human trafficking, sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, child neglect and child abuse. Reed is said to have worked with 41-year-old Marshall Farmer, also known as Dean Allen in the abduction of four children; the youngest was a 15-month-old girl. Three of the four children are in the custody of Child Protective Services. The fourth child, a little girl, was crucially injured during an altercation with Farmer several days ago. During the altercation, which took place at the Columbus Motor Inn, Farmer was hit by a car and was later pronounced dead at Seattle Grace Hospital. The young girl, whose identity has not been revealed, is said to have escaped Farmer before she too was run down by a car in the parking lot of the Emerald City Bar. She is currently in critical condition at Seattle Grace Hospital. Anyone with information about the case are asked to contact Seattle Police at (206) 625-5011."_

Addison sat in shock as she watched the news report; Naomi looked over at her friend in worry.

"Addison? Are you alright?"

"That case, that's the one I've been working on," Naomi frowned.

"I didn't know you were working on any cases,"

"Well I was but…cliffnotes version; I was on the case but then Richard took me off because it was too close to…anywho, just before I came out here, Richard put me back on the case," Naomi reached across the table and gave her friend's hand a squeeze.

"Oh, Addie; I know how hard this case must be for you,"

"She'll be seven in six months Nae and I still don't know where she is, if she's even still alive…"

"So you haven't heard anything?" Addison sighed heavily and shook her head.

"When I left New York I completely left; Nancy emails me every now and then but, the case has gone cold,"

"Why are you trying to move to LA Addison?" Addison shook her head slowly.

"I need change Nae; there's nothing left for me in Seattle. There was nothing there for me to begin with,"

"You and Derek were married for 11 years,"

"And we spent nearly half of it miserable; our daughter went missing and I cheated on him with his best friend, he left me, moved across the country, started an affair with another woman, took me back out of obligation only to cheat on me with the same woman and then, then I find out Meredith has no clue we even had a daughter," Addison's voice was filled with bitterness and anger as she spoke, surprising Naomi with information she didn't know.

"Derek never told her?"

"Nope; he hated me that much for sleeping with Mark," Naomi squinted her eyes as she looked at her friend.

"Was it really just the one time Addison? Or is it the one time Derek found out?" Addison sighed heavily. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose for a few moments before she spoke.

"It was the one time Derek caught us," Naomi sighed heavily in disappointment.

"So Derek only thinks it was the one time?"

"I told him that it wasn't,"

"And his response?"

"Less than stellar; he said he never wanted to see me again,"

"So you're running away because…"

"Where the hell else am I supposed to go? I can't go to New York or Boston because the memories of Abigail will suffocate me and Derek's mother and sisters live in Boston and they hate me. I sure as hell can't go to Connecticut because hello, Bizzy. Staying in Seattle is not an option so…"

"So you thought you'd come here to LA and do what exactly? Besides, don't you have a five-year contract with Seattle Grace?" Addison groans.

"Nae! You're supposed to be on my side here!"

"I'm not saying I'm not on your side Addie; I'm simply saying you can't keep running away from things just because they're hard and painful. If that were true I shouldn't have stayed in LA after Sam and me divorced,"

"But you're different; you and Sam are different. You two didn't cheat on one another…did you?"

"What? No! God no, but he did suddenly announce that he wanted a divorce, which led me to wonder if he cheated. Even though he swears he didn't, do you know how painful that is? To wake up one morning and the person you fell in love with doesn't love you anymore?"

"I do Nae but-"

"When Sam did that to me, I felt like my world was over. But then I had to stop and think about somebody more important than myself: Maya. I couldn't just pick up and leave and uproot Maya from everything she's ever known, not to mention Sam. So I stayed; it hasn't been easy but I stayed and I made things work with Sam. The point I'm trying to make with you is that no matter where you go or what you do, Abby is with you. She wouldn't want you uprooting every time things get a little hard. She may not be here with you physically, but what if she was? Would you be leaving Seattle because you and Derek are getting a divorce?"

"No, but-"

"Then there are no buts, stay in Seattle Addie. I'm not saying I don't want you in LA because it would be absolutely amazing for you to be in LA, for us to be working together again. But I also know you; you're a surgery junkie and honestly, the practice can't afford to pay you based on your resume," Addison frowns.

"So why tell me I should come out here and visit? That I'd love working for the practice?"

"Because when we talked, I could tell that you needed a change of pace, but when I looked at the practice's budget and your resume and credentials…it's easier to let you down gently than to hire you and not be able to properly compensate you. Plus, I'll be damned if I let Charlotte King over at St. Ambrose poach you," The two women share a laugh and finally begin to enjoy lunch.

By the time lunch is over and Addison is heading back to her hotel room, she receives a phone call that changes everything.

" _Dr. Montgomery? My name is Detective Toby Anderson with the Seattle Police Department; I need to speak to you about the Jane Doe case…it's urgent_ ,"

 _Chapter 14 to follow…_


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi! It's been a while, hasn't it? Anywho, no need for pleasantries let's just jump into the next chapter shall we?**

 **Xx**

Los Angeles

" _Hello?_ _Dr. Montgomery? My name is Detective Toby Anderson with the Seattle Police Department; I was informed by your chief of Surgery that you were one of the doctors assigned to the Jane Doe. We also learned from a Dr. Mark Sloan that you were in the hospital the night she was brought in. I'd like to set up a time to meet with you to get a few details about the case and what you remember about that night. Don't worry; all of this is standard procedure. If you could, please give me a call at (206) 625-5011, thank you_."

Addison sighed heavily when she listened to the voicemail. She had no idea why the Seattle police department would want to speak to her about Jane Doe. But whatever the reason, she knew that there had to be a lead on the case. She was slightly irritated that Mark never mentioned talking to the police. She hated to have to turn around and go back after only being gone for a day, but when the police want to speak with you, you pack your bags and go.

"Addie, who was that on the phone?" Naomi has just ordered room service, a nice bottle of red wine. She frowns when she sees her friend packing her bags.

"What's going on?" Addison turns to her friend and sighs.

"I just a call from a detective in Seattle," Naomi looks at her friend expectantly.

"What's going on?"

"I have to go back,"

"Now?"

"He sounded urgent; it's about the Jane Doe case," Naomi nods.

"You think it's about what we saw on the news earlier?"

"Probably; it has to be if they're asking to talk to me of all people," Addison shakes her head as Naomi begins to help her pack.

"Trying to get rid of me so soon?" Addison teases.

"No, I just…I know how hard this case has to be,"

"Nae-"

"That little girl deserves to be reunited with her family, and if you can help her-"

"You know I will," Addison's smile is tight and her eyes are watery as Naomi squeezes her hand.

"It's fine Addie, go,"

"I'll come back, after I figure out what they want,"

"I assume that whatever they want to ask you is important if they couldn't have this conversation over the phone," Addison shrugged.

"It has to be,"

"Are you worried?"

"A little; but I'm hoping that whatever news or questions they want to ask me that it'll help them find the sick bastards who did this to her and lead her to her parents," Naomi smiled sadly as she sat next to her friend.

"Are you okay? Be honest Addie; I know this case hits home for you and-"

"I'm just…if I had the opportunity to have my kid back in my arms…I'm going, Nae. However and whatever I can do to get this little girl justice, I'm gonna do it," Naomi smiled before giving her friend a hug.

"Stay in Seattle, it's where you belong," Addison pulled back and looked at Naomi questioningly.

" _Really_? You want me to stay in the same city as my ex-husband and ex…Mark?"

"If we could afford you financially, you'd _definitely_ have a job; but I'll be damned if you stay and Charlotte King tries to steal you for St. Ambrose," Addison laughed.

" _What_ **is it** _with you and her_?"

"Charlotte King is the Wicked Witch of Saint Ambrose and a pain in my ass, that's all you need to know," Addison grinned.

"So, since you're not hiring me and my flight doesn't leave for a few more hours, maybe you could give me a tour of the practice; maybe let me see a laboring mom?" Naomi rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"This is _exactly_ why I can't hire you; you're too much of a surgery junkie,"

"Yeah, but it's a good distraction for what I'm heading back to,"

Seattle:

Mark arrives to his hotel room and finds at least five messages from Detective Anderson and Detective Smoots but he doesn't bother to answer any of them. And since Seattle PD hasn't come to the hospital or his hotel room to arrest him for obstruction, then that means Addison isn't a person of interest. Mark lets out a sigh of relief as he opens the mini fridge and pulls out a beer. He's just stepped out of a shower, towel slung low on his waist. He was a god in surgery today; nine hours to reconstruct a little girl's face. He feels good, but there's still that lingering feeling of unease when he thinks about Jane Doe. So far, her post ops look good; she's still in a medically induced coma, but that's to be expected after the hell she's been through. Tomorrow he's gonna go in and do a few grafts for old burns and bruises. He's also gonna look at some infections. Right now though, he doesn't want to think about Jane Doe's procedures; right now he plans on ordering room service and maybe going to Joe's.

However, all his plans he has go straight to hell when he gets a phone call from Addison.

"Red?"

" _Mark, hey; listen, I got a call from a detective on the Jane Doe case, they wanna ask me some questions_ …"

Mark sighs heavily; well, there goes Addison not being a person of interest.

"What do you need?" Addison sighs heavily.

" _I've gotta come back to Seattle; can you pick me up from the airport around midnight_? _I booked a red eye_ ; _it was the quickest thing I could find_ ,"

"Sure thing,"

" _Why didn't you tell me you talked to the police_?" Mark swears under his breath.

"Lemme guess, they mentioned my name?"

" _They did; when did you talk to them_?"

"A few hours after you left; Meredith knows, about Abigail," Addison is silent for five minutes; it makes Mark think she's hung up the phone.

"Addison?"

" _I heard you_ ,"

"How are you-"

" _I don't wanna think about Meredith_ , **or Derek** ,"

"Okay; so tonight at midnight?"

" _Yeah_ ,"

"I'll be there; and Red?"

" _Yeah Mark_?"

"It's gonna be okay," He could almost feel her smile through the phone.

" _Thanks,"_

With that he hung up the phone; he sat on the side of his bed and sighed, running a hand through his wet hair.

Well, there goes his evening.

Los Angeles:

It's upsetting that she has to leave so soon, but this Jane Doe case is important and she did tell Richard that she would come back if she needed to. She just wished it wasn't so soon.

"Do you think you'll come back once everything gets settled?" Naomi agreed to give her a quick tour of the practice.

" _Thought you said you didn't wanna hire me_?" There's no malice in her voice, just a simple grin.

" _Oh I still don't plan on hiring you_. I just meant that maybe you'd come back for a visit," Naomi is sitting on the side of the bed; Addison's bag is packed, but her flight doesn't leave for a few more hours.

" _You mean like a vacation_?" Addison raises an eyebrow.

"You need one; things have been a little difficult. You could use a change of pace,"

"But not a permanent change of scenery?" Naomi sighed.

"Addie, we both know you 'needing a change of scenery' is code for you need another place to run away to,"

"I didn't run away from New York Nae, and you know it," It stings, but deep down she knows it's the truth.

"Addie, I love you but you leaving New York was-"

"He cheated on me," Addison says bitterly.

" _Who,_ **Derek**?"

"No, _Mark_ ," Naomi makes a face and tries very hard not to pass judgment.

"Don't make that face Nae, you weren't in New York. Derek barely came home! He hadn't touched me since before the night Abigail disappeared. That night was the first time in months since we'd had sex, or any physical contact at that aside from those mundane 'hi honey, how are you, how's your day' kisses. Even Abigail noticed it! We fought, all the time, and then one day we just…stopped fighting," Addison sits on the side of the bed and sighs.

"And then Mark happened?" Naomi asks knowingly as Addison sighs, looks over at her and sighs heavily before replying,

"And then Mark happened,"

"Oh, Addie; can I ask, why didn't you-"

"Fight harder? Try harder?"

"No, leave," Addison blinks; well that's something she wasn't expecting to hear.

"I, I thought about it but, I knew the kind of judgment I'd get if I left. I mean, Derek's mother already hates me and let's not forget about the aneurysm Bizzy would have if she found out. 'Divorcing your husband because he works a lot, doesn't give you any attention, and misses a few birthday parties is a ridiculous reason to divorce; if that were the case, your father and I would've split _years ago_ '," Naomi has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at how much Addison sounds like her mother.

"Based on that uncanny imitation of Bizzy, I take it that you mentioned it to her?"

"For all of two minutes; then I snapped out of it and realized that maybe she was right. Maybe this was how marriage was supposed to be," Naomi raises an eyebrow.

"You honestly didn't believe that bullshit, did you?" Addison shrugs.

"Maybe if I had just…let it go then my daughter wouldn't be missing and I wouldn't be divorced contemplating moving for the third time in less than two years," Naomi moved closer to the side of the bed where Addison was and wrapped an arm around her.

"Addison, I've known you for a long time, and you've always said that you never wanted to raise your children the way your parents raised you and Archer,"

" _Yeah_ , but-"

"No buts; you tried, you fought for your marriage. The way you went about it may be questionable but-"

"See, that's the thing; everyone thinks I seduced Mark into bed or the other way around. When really it was Derek who put us together,"

" _Derek_? Derek made you and Mark-"

"No, but, when Derek couldn't be bothered to check in on us, he sent Mark as his stand in. Can you believe that? He thought he could have his best friend replace him on Christmas, and Birthdays, and Anniversaries and nothing would happen," Naomi sighed; well, when she put it like that. Derek had to have known something would happen if Addison were already unhappy before.

"Do think you still would've cheated even if it wasn't Mark?"

"Honestly?" Naomi nods, encouraging her friend to continue.

"Even if it hadn't been Mark I still would've done it, or at least come close to doing it. When you're starved for attention for as long as I was and you feel like you can't leave, any little bit of attention can be addicting. I mean, I found myself getting feelings for…for my yoga instructor, for the guy at the grocery store who bags my groceries, hell, any male doctor I had a consult with. That is how emotionally starved I was and he didn't bother to care!" For Naomi, it suddenly makes sense why a woman like Addison who seemingly had it all-the career, the house, the family, would throw it all away over something so foolish.

"I'm sorry, Addie; I really, truly am sorry," Naomi reaches over and grabs a hand to squeeze.

"Yeah, me too," Addison sniffles before quickly reaching up to wipe at the few stray tears that managed to escape. Just as quickly as her vulnerability had come off, her armor of protection had gone back up.

" _Now_ , I _do_ believe you were going to give me a tour of Oceanside Wellness…"

Seattle:

It's 10:30 and he's supposed to be meeting Addison at the airport at midnight. He's just getting ready to leave his hotel and head to SeaTac when he gets a page from the hospital; Jane Doe is awake. He's reluctant to go but if he's getting paged then it must be important. He slings his leather coat over his shoulders, grabs his room key and heads for the hospital.

He's greeted by Dr. Bailey's cute intern, Rodriguez.

"Evening Doc," Mark gives the young intern a sly grin as she tries very hard not to blush.

"Dr. Sloan,"

"Is there a reason you paged me at 10:30, unless you wanted me to come all the way down here to give me-"

"I had her page you," Mark turns around at the sound of Dr. Bailey's voice; he grins sheepishly.

"Uh, hi Dr. Bailey," Dr. Bailey glares at him before rolling her eyes.

"Jane Doe's awake; Robbins just took her ET tube out,"

"Ah. She wants to see if I'm as good as they say I am," Mark gives Dr. Bailey a charming smile that she doesn't return.

"Sloan, that cute smile may work on my interns and the other attendings and nurses in this hospital but it doesn't work on me. Just do your damn job," She rolls her eyes before grabbing her charts and heading down the hall towards the elevators.

The ride up to the pediatric unit is all but silent as Mark questions how long this will take.

"Got some hot date lined up?" Dr. Bailey doesn't look up from her charts; she simply raises an eyebrow at him.

"No, I've gotta pick Addison up from the airport," That gets Dr. Bailey's attention.

"She's back already? Didn't she leave less than 24 hours ago?"

"She's been summoned back by Seattle PD," Mark mutters, just as the elevator dings, signaling their arrival to PEDs.

Once they step off the elevators, they're met by none other than Detective Anderson and Detective Smoots, who look all to happy to see Mark.

"Dr. Sloan, pleasure seeing you again," Mark rolls his eyes at Detective Smoots.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this," Detective Anderson grins at him.

"I'm just here to check on Jane Doe,"

"Ah yes, we were waiting on you to arrive. We were told we couldn't speak to her until you'd done a post op exam," Mark rolls his eyes and doesn't respond, he simply makes his way into Jane Doe's room.

However he stops short at the sight.

Sitting in bed looking up at him completely confused is none other than Abigail Shepherd.

The whole world seems to stop as he looks at the little girl, eyes wide with surprise and confusion. How the hell did she end up here? Was it really her? She sure as hell looked like her; but he couldn't get his hopes up. This could easily be a case of mistaken identity; plus, he didn't want to get Derek and Addison's hopes up, especially Addison's.

"Dr. Sloan, are you alright?" He blinks out his trance and notices that everyone is staring at him, Jane Doe included.

"Uh, yeah…has Shepherd seen her?" He glances back at Dr. Bailey, too afraid to look a

t the little girl who could possibly be his niece in the eyes.

"No…"

"Has the Chief seen her?" Dr. Bailey frowns.

"No, Sloan, what's-"

"Page the chief, _now_ ,"

 _Chapter 15 to Follow…_

 **It took me long enough to write this but we're finally here! We're a bit of a ways off from a reunion and an Addek reconciliation, but things are slowly moving in that direction. In the next chapter, we're actually going to check back in with none other than Amelia Shepherd to see what she's been up to since we last saw her.**

 **I hope you all are as excited for Chapter 15 as I am!**

 **Xx**


	15. Chapter 15

If there's one thing Richard Webber doesn't like, it's to be disturbed in the middle of the night, especially when he and his wife are together, the wife that has been threatening to leave him for the past few months. The same wife who'd recently suffered a miscarriage; no, Richard Webber does _not_ like being interrupted when he's with his wife. He's reluctant to leave, but when he learns that it's about Jane Doe case, he can't ignore it.

"Go on; that's an important case. I want that little girl to find her family just as bad as everyone else does," Adele helps him slip into his khaki colored trench coat.

"I do too, but did Mark Sloan _really_ have to page me at-"

"Richard, I'll be here when you get back, I promise," He leans in and kisses her.

"Why don't you come with me?" Adele shakes her head.

"Oh, no; I couldn't possibly-"

"We could go to breakfast afterward?" In her years of being married to a surgeon, Adele Webber has learned to appreciate a late-night breakfast date.

"Well, if you insist," she grins at him before heading to the coat closet to grab her own coat and purse.

Together, they head for the hospital.

oOoOo

Meredith Grey is working late tonight, and she just so happens to be assigned to the Jane Doe case. It was an intriguing case when it came in but _now_? Now she wants it to be over, especially since she just found out her boyfriend has a missing daughter.

A Missing daughter he failed to tell her about, despite the fact that they've been in an on-again-off-again relationship for nearly two years. She understands why he didn't tell her, but it doesn't mean she's okay with him hiding things from her, _especially not things like this_. He's tried to make it up to her, but right now she just needs time. It's a lot to process; it was bad enough that they'd been together for a whole six weeks before she even found out about Addison. And even then she didn't find out from Derek, she'd had to find out from Addison herself. Meredith still has nightmares about the day Addison Montgomery came to Seattle, dressed impeccably in all Black and ruined her happiness two sentences.

 _Hi, I'm Addison Shepherd_

 _And you must be the woman who's been screwing my husband_

She shook her head and did her rounds on patients. God, she hoped that nothing major occurred with this case. She looked forward to a night where she didn't have to go near the PEDs floor. She's walking down the hall with Izzie when they pass Lauren, who's practically sprinting down the hallway.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Meredith calls out.

"Jane Doe's awake!" Izzie and Meredith share a look.

Well, this night just got interesting; so much for not going near PEDs.

Los Angeles

The practice sits on the corner of Wilshire Blvd in a cute five-story brick building. She likes the sign, _Oceanside Wellness Group_. She'd spent most of her evening at St. Ambrose where she helped a laboring mom; it was exactly the rush of energy she needed. She'd also met the infamous Charlotte King, who seemed quite harmless. In fact, Addison found her to be a smaller, blonder, southern version of herself. And just as Naomi predicted, she'd tried to poach Addison. The showdown between her best friend and the so-called Wicked Witch of St. Ambrose was actually pretty damn amusing. However, Naomi quickly ushered her back to the practice for the tour she'd wanted. It was also convenient because it wasn't that far from the airport.

Addison's eyes widen as she takes in the practice.

" _Wow_ ,"

"That bad huh?" Naomi teases.

" _What_? _No_! This place is _amazing_ ; it's like a spa!" Naomi rolls her eyes and chuckles as Addison's hand run along the fresh wooden receptionist desk.

"It's not a spa; _why does everyone think it's a spa_?" Naomi muttered.

"Hello, look at this place! It practically _screams_ spa, Nae,"

"Okay, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

" _For clients_? That's a _great_ thing; I'm not sure who could turn this place down when they walk in. Let's hope your doctors have the same inviting disposition,"

They continue chatting as they walk down the hall until they nearly bump into someone.

"Oh, sorry I… _Addison_?"

Standing there in the middle of Oceanside Wellness is none other than Amelia Shepherd.

"A- _Amelia_?" The young neurosurgeon's eyes widen in shock as she blinks and blinks and blinks.

"Addie! What, what are you doing here?" Amelia's holding patient files and seems to be very familiar with the practice. Slowly, it hits her; Naomi had hired her, and didn't even say anything.

"Oh my god…"

"Addie, I can explain…" this is all so confusing. How the hell did Amelia get here? _When did she even finish med school_? The last time Addison saw Amelia, she was living in Boston. She has questions, lots and lots of questions.

" _You hired Amelia_?"

"Addison-"

" When the hell was I gonna find out, when I ended up in the office next to hers?" Amelia whips her head around to look at Naomi.

"Addison works here?"

"No, and no; listen…Amy's here as a favor to Dr. Ginsburg," Addison frowns.

" _You work for Ginsburg_?" Amelia nods.

"Uh, yeah; I finished school a while ago, applied to Hopkins where I've been doing my residency. I recently decided to take Ginsburg up on her offer on a fellowship," Amelia's feet shuffle nervously on the floor.

" _Does Derek know you finished school_? _Does your family know that you're a doctor_?" Amelia bites her lip and shakes her head.

"You know they haven't talked to me since I wrapped Derek's car around that tree, stole his script pad and overdosed," Addison sighs, pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Amelia, you can't just…neglect to tell your family something big as this. You're a _doctor_ , you save lives for a living," Addison shakes her head.

"Addie, please don't say anything," Amelia begs.

"How can you keep something this important a secret?"

"And how do you keep the fact that you were screwing your husband's best friend for over a year a secret?" Amelia sighs frustratedly, though quickly changes her tone when Addison quickly turns away from her.

"Addie, Addie wait!" Amelia tries following her to the elevators.

"No, Amelia, go to hell and you? I thought you were my friend? You've known where she was, that she worked for you the whole time and didn't tell me?" Addison shakes her head.

"Addie, wait-" Naomi sighs heavily but Addison glares at her.

"I haven't seen or heard from you since your niece went missing and then all of a sudden you show up in Los Angeles?"

"Addison, I can explain-"

"I thought, I thought if anyone were gonna be there for me, it'd be you. You kept my secret about Mark and then, then you just stop taking my calls. You change your number, no one's seen or heard from you in over two years I thought…I thought something bad had happened to you," Addison's eyes are full of tears.

"Addie, please; after Abby went missing and then you left, I couldn't…I didn't have anyone, Addison. You left me!"

"Because my daughter went missing and marriage went straight to hell, but Amelia, you could've called; Nancy has my number," Amelia scoffs and shakes her head.

"You think perfect Nancy would've given me your number?"

"You could've called Mark; he didn't change his number," Addison sighs heavily and shakes her head.

"They haven't found her; the case went cold over a year ago. Derek's in love with someone else; I found her panties in his coat pocket. Oh, and by the way, we divorced less than a week ago," With that, Addison says nothing more; she simply shakes her head and heads for the elevators.

oOoOo

When she called Dr. Ginsburg, she'd expected that the fellowship would take her somewhere far, far away from her troubles. Instead, she ended up less than 1,200 miles away from them. She ended up in Los Angeles. It irked her at first, but eventually, she settled into things. She found herself working at St. Ambrose on the case of a comatose patient. While working on the case, her troubles wouldn't leave her alone and she ended up running smack dab into Naomi Bennett, Addison's best friend.

"Naomi?" Her eyes widen with shock and surprise as she sees the younger Shepherd standing there.

"Amelia? What are you-"

"Doing here? I work here?" Naomi's eyebrows rise in a comical fashion.

"You, you work here, in St. Ambrose?" Amelia laughs, shakes her head and replies,

"God no! I'm here on a fellowship; I work for Dr. Ginsburg,"

"You mean the Dr. Ginsburg?"

"Don't tell me you're gonna question my ability to get this fellowship?"

"No, no, no, I just…the last time I saw you-"

"I was Hurricane Amy?"

"Yeah, you were; but it looks like you've done pretty well for yourself since then," Amelia gives her a small smile.

"Yeah, I have,"

oOoOo

Amelia is stunned, absolutely stunned; Addison is here, or rather was here. Addison was in LA and she didn't even know it, but Naomi did.

"What the hell just happened?" Amelia glanced over at Naomi who sighed heavily.

"She surprised me; she called me a few days ago, asked about coming out,"

"And you didn't think to tell me!?" Naomi sighs.

"Amelia-"

"You could've warned me, I would've…god, I could've made sure I wasn't at the practice when she came," Naomi frowns.

"Why would you-" Amelia sighs harshly; she couldn't let Naomi know her secret. There was just no way she could do it. Seeing Addison has shaken her to the core.

"Amelia, why are you upset about seeing Addison?" Naomi has moved closer to her; something was off and she knew it.

"I just…it's nothing; she was right. I abandoned her when she needed me the most. I left I just…I stopped talking to her, to Derek, to my family. I…she needed me and I left her out to dry. That's something I can never forgive myself for," Amelia shakes her head and heads for her office.

Once she gets there she shuts the blinds and allows herself to cry.

This is all so fucked up.

 _Chapter 16 to follow…_

* * *

 **I know it's a short chapter, and not much is happening but I'm building you guys, trust me. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We're slowly starting to wrap things up. In chapter 16, the Chief (and Adele) arrive at the hospital. We'll also get a bit more about Mark's reaction to seeing who he thinks is Abigail. I think I wanted the focus to be on Amelia and where she's been. This is probably the last we'll see of Amelia, at least until the sequel. It's gonna be a while before Derek and Addison actually realize that this girl could possibly be there daughter, and there's a catalyst that will help them realize the truth. Just, just trust me guys, okay? I know what I'm doing I promise.**

 **I can't wait to see you for Chapter 16!**

 **Xx**


	16. Chapter 16

Meredith and Izzie quickly followed Loren down the hall to Jane Doe's room. Before this moment, Meredith had never really seen the girl, but one look at the child sitting wide-eyed in bed, an oversized hospital gown hanging from her bony shoulders and she knew.

This girl was Derek and Addison's missing daughter; she _had_ to be. She'd know those eyes anywhere, and the way the girl was staring back at her was familiar, because Derek would stare at her with those big, curious eyes of his. Not to mention her face was strikingly similar to Addison's bone structure wise. She'd also recognize that hair anywhere, that perfect McDreamy hair, _Derek's hair_.

"Mere, you okay?" Izzie placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to blink from her trance. She noticed that Loren was looking at her as well. She had to play it off, because there was no way, absolutely **no way** this girl could be Derek's daughter. It was too coincidental that this child, their child, could end up in their hospital. Still, her gut told her that this was Derek's child. There were so many questions, but perhaps the biggest question for Meredith is,

"How did she get here?" She doesn't realize she'd verbalized the question out loud until Izzie is staring at her with wide eyes.

"Grey, what do you know about Jane Doe?" Dr. Bailey's voice is sharp, questionable.

"Nothing I just…I'm a little behind about this case and was wondering how she ended up here, at the hospital," it's a weak answer and she's pretty sure nobody buys it, but Loren surprises her and responds,

"Joe found her; she was lying in the parking lot. Police are saying that she ran away from her captors who were staying at the motel across the street from the bar," The way Loren is staring at her sends chills down her spine. She knows she's gonna wanna talk later, but right now Meredith can't talk to her.

She needs to find Derek.

oOoOo

Richard Webber didn't like being bothered on his off days but here he was, making his way back into the hospital. He shook his head; what the hell could Mark Sloan possibly want with him that it couldn't wait until morning?

"Would you relax? Whatever Mark Sloan wants-"

"Chief," Mark greets him as he's walking through the doors of the hospital. In fact, he doesn't even let them get inside the hospital. They're standing outside under the pavilion.

"What is it, Sloan? I was at home and-"

"Abigail, Jane Doe is Abigail," Richard Webber stares at him, long and hard. No, that can't be right; Derek and Addison's daughter's been missing for almost two years with no lead. It's sad to say but, they've all lost hope of the girl being found alive, or even being found at all.

"Sloan-"

"I was there when she was born; I _know_ what she looks like. That girl, Jane Doe, that's Abigail Shepherd," Richard sighs heavily.

"Sloan, this is-"

"How sure are you, Dr. Sloan?" Adele has stepped in; she may not know much about Mark Sloan, but she does know that he, Derek, and Addison were best friends and that he was very close to Abigail.

"I'm _very_ sure ma'am…chief, just look at her, just-"

"Richard, he might be right; and what better way to help this little girl than to unite her with her parents?" Adele is giving him that look, the one that says 'you know I'm right'. Richard sighs.

" **And what if it's not her**? _What if I'm just digging into a nearly two-year-old wound for two of my top surgeons_ , not to mention two people we all care about **very much**? _Then what Sloan_?"

"I'll take the blame," Mark's voice is resolute.

"Mark-" Mark shakes his head at Adele's words.

"If it's not her, Derek and Addison can deal with me," Richard looks between Mark and Adele and shakes his head.

"Alright, fine; let's go see Jane Doe,"

oOoOo

Loren Rodriguez is a loner, has been the moment she stepped foot into Seattle Grace Hospital over a year ago. She's not surprised, but rather used to it. She's a New Yorker, anti-social through and through. But still, despite her New Yorker attitude, she thought she'd be able to make at least _one_ friend; nope, she'd been sadly mistaken. Sure, she'd gotten to be cordial with her fellow interns, but once she'd started to outshine them, the claws had come out. It only got worse when her resident resigned. Her former friends were envious when she got picked to be a part of Dr. Bailey's group of residents. Some pitied her though; Miranda Bailey had a reputation of being downright ruthless at times, but she was a damn good surgeon.

It's taken her some time but, she's warmed up to everyone, moreso residents than interns. She'll probably never like Alex Karev, Cristina Yang isn't worth bothering to like, George O'Malley is nice, but he'll flake in a heartbeat when it comes to Meredith and Izzie. Izzie is alright, though she's too chipper for Loren's liking. She hasn't quite figured out how she feels about Meredith Grey. She knows that her mother was Ellis Grey and that she's dating Dr. Shepherd, but still, Meredith's a bit of a mystery.

She doesn't get much time to think about her problems as an intern because her pager's going off; 's Dr. Robbins; Jane Doe is awake. She drops what she's doing and sprints down the hall, earning strange looks from interns and residents alike. She runs into Meredith and Izzie on her way.

"Where's the fire?" Meredith and Izzie are on the case as well, though they're less invested in it than she is. Their walk down the hall is a slow stride, they're quietly chatting about something.

"Jane Doe's awake," She doesn't bother to gage Meredith and Izzie's reactions; she just knows that they follow her down the hall.

oOoOo

Loren waits until Meredith is back at the nurses' station before she begins to question her.

"What do you know about Jane Doe?" Meredith glances back at Izzie for a second before turning to face Loren.

"I don't…I don't know anything about who she is, just a hunch," Meredith shrugs her shoulders.

"You're lying, you're a terrible liar," Loren shakes her head. She's like a dog with a bone; she's not going to let this go Meredith can tell.

"Look, she seems familiar, but I don't wanna say anything about who she is until I'm sure. It's a delicate as it is and I don't wanna go upsetting anyone by making the wrong assumptions," Loren tilts her head to the side.

"You think you know who her parents are," It suddenly dawns on Loren, though Meredith isn't sure if she's put the clues together.

"I'm not sure, but yes, I have a hunch; but can we please keep this between us?"

"If this could help us find her-"

"Loren, the people who I think are her parents have been through a lot and I wanna make sure that this is their kid," Loren shakes her head.

"That's not your job, that's the police's job Meredith," This isn't going to end well; she contemplates telling her, but she's not sure what Loren will do with this information.

"Look, if I think I'm right, this case affects me more than you know. I don't wanna dig up those secrets just yet,"

"But you're sure you know her,"

"No, I don't know her directly,"

"But you think you know her parents?"

"Yes, her father in particular," Loren frowns before her eyes light up.

"Loren-"

"Nothing I just…I thought about something Dr. Robbins said when Jane Doe was admitted,"

"What'd she say-"

"She said-" Loren doesn't get to mention what Arizona said because Mark is coming down the hall.

"Evening Doc," Mark gives Loren a sultry smile that she tries not to respond to. Though Meredith doesn't miss the blush that creeps up the back of her neck; she likes Mark. That may be useful to Meredith, could possibly buy her some time.

"Dr. Sloan," Mark glances over at Meredith, giving her a slight nod which she returns.

"Is there a reason you paged me at 10:30? Unless you wanted me to come all the way down here to get your-"

"I had her page you," Mark turns around to see Dr. Bailey standing in front of him; she doesn't look happy. Meredith smirks to herself; aside from Addison, Dr. Bailey's the only person Mark seems to be afraid of and respect at the same time.

"Uh, hi Dr. Bailey," Dr. Bailey doesn't respond, she simply glares at him.

"Jane Doe's awake; Robbins just removed her ET tube" Dr. Bailey isn't one to mince words, she cuts straight to the chase.

"Ah She wants to see if I'm as good as they say I am," Meredith shakes her head at how cocky Mark is; but he has a right to be. After all, the man did sutcher his own face the first day they met.

"Sloan, that cute smile may work on my interns and other foolish residents, nurses, and attendings in this hospital but it doesn't work on me. Just go in there and do your damn job," Mark sighs heavily, shakes his head and heads towards the elevators. Meredith and Loren follow her.

The ride up is silent, save the way Mark keeps looking at his watch, asking how long the consult will take.

"Got some hot date lined up?" Dr. Bailey raises a questionable eyebrow at him, though she doesn't bother looking up from her charts. Meredith doesn't miss the way Loren eyes him with suspicion. Oh yeah, she definitely has a thing for Mark Sloan.

"No. I've gotta pick Addison up from the airport," This gets Meredith's attention. She starts to say something but decides against it. She can't have them all wondering why she's suddenly invested in this case. It seems she's not the only person who's surprised Addison is coming back so soon. Dr. Bailey responds,

"She's coming back already? Didn't she just leave for Los Angeles?" Mark nods.

"She did, but she's been summoned back by Seattle PD,"

They exit the elevators and Meredith's heart drops at the sight of two detectives who seem to be familiar with Mark.

"Relax, they're investigating the case; standard procedure," Loren's voice is in her ear and it makes her jump. She turns around and the girl is smirking at her.

"So does this mean-"

"I don't know what it means, but if you think you know her parents you need to try and find them and be sure, because I won't hesitate to tell Dr. Bailey and the cops that you might know something,"

"Please don't," Loren looks at her for a second, and Meredith swears that a look of understanding passes.

"24 hours Grey, after that I'm telling," Loren simply walks towards Jane Doe's room. Meredith lingers back and watches Mark's interaction with the officers.

"Dr. Sloan, pleasure seeing you again," the detective offers Mark a hand but he refuses; he rolls his eyes instead.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this," the other detective greets Mark with an amused smile that only seems to annoy him.

"Look, I'm only here to check on Jane Doe,"

"Have you talked to Dr. Montgomery?" Meredith frowns; she didn't know the police had talked to Addison. She wonders if they've talked to Derek? No, he would've told her, but then again, he did hide the fact that he had a child with his ex-wife, correction, a missing child, for the better part of two years.

"Ah, yes; we've been waiting for you to arrive. We were told we couldn't speak to her until you've done a post-op exam," Mark rolls his eyes and doesn't respond. He turns around and motions for Meredith and Loren to follow him.

However, Meredith doesn't get into the room, because Mark has blocked the doorway. He's staring at Jane Doe with wide eyes, as though he's seen a ghost.

"Dr. Sloan, are you alright?" he turns around at the sight of Loren's voice.

"Uh, yeah; has, has Shepherd seen her?" Mark looks back at Dr. Bailey who's frowning at him.

"No…"

"Has the chief seen her?" Dr. Bailey's scowl deepens as she responds,

"No, Sloan, what's-"

"Page the chief, _now_ ,"

"Dr. Sloan-"

"Dr. Bailey, I am your superior and as your superior, I'm telling you to page the Chief, now," Dr. Bailey frowns; she wants to respond but then she pauses. She glances back at Jane Doe and then back at the pained look on Mark's face and suddenly, her expression changes. For a second, Meredith sees shock register across her face but she quickly schools it into something neutral.

"Right away Dr. Sloan," Mark quickly walks out of the room; he ignores the detective's words.

"When can we-"

"There's been a new development with Jane Doe's condition; we're not allowing anyone to talk to her until our chief's seen her," Dr. Bailey stands in the doorway giving the detectives a look that dares them to cross her. They're smart and don't.

"Can you tell us where Dr. Sloan-"

"He's gone to wait for the chief; once we talk to the chief we'll let you know what's going on and when you can talk to her. Until then, you gentlemen would be better off leaving. This is gonna take a while," One of the men tries to protest but his partner places a hand on his shoulder and shakes his head.

"Have a nice evening Dr. Bailey…oh, and by the way, if you see Dr. Addison Montgomery any time soon, have her give me a call," With that, the detectives leave, though they're glancing back at Jane Doe's room.

"Okay, what the hell was that about? Why couldn't Sloan do his post-op exam?" Arizona is fuming, clearly not liking being left out of the loop.

"Dr. Robbins-"

"No, Dr. Bailey, why couldn't Dr. Sloan do his post-op exam and why is it so important that the chief see this kid before Shepherd does?" Arizona is staring Dr. Bailey down. For a moment, no one says anything before finally, Dr. Bailey sighs heavily.

"Dr. Robbins, this case just took a very serious turn," Dr. Bailey's tone is quiet, grave almost.

"What could possibly-"

"Do you remember what you said when Jane Doe first came into the hospital?" Loren's voice cuts through the tension, causing Arizona to look at her strangely.

"I said a lot of things when she came into the hospital Rodriguez," Meredith watches as Loren visibly swallows before reminding Arizona of a conversation long forgotten

"No, about who you said she resembled," Arizona frowns before her eyes widen in shock.

"Rodriguez, are you saying…no, that's impossible. They don't-"

"Actually, Dr. Robbins-" Dr. Bailey interrupts her, but Arizona rounds of Meredith.

"You, you're sleeping with Shepherd, surely he would've said something," Meredith feels cornered. She glances back at Loren who shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head. It seems as if she has no choice.

"This isn't a conversation we need to be having here; we should find someplace less…full of gossipy nurses to talk,"

 _Chapter 17 to follow…_

* * *

 **Slowly people, slowly we're getting to that moment you've all been waiting for. It's gonna happen, soon I promise.**

 **See you in chapter 17!**

 **Xx**

 ***This chapter was inspired by Black Jazz and Soul musicians from the 1930's, 40's, 60's, 70's and 80's***

 **P.S. I'm dedicating this chapter to memory of Aretha Franklin and Senator John McCain; one of whom whose music is quintessential to my pride as a Black woman and my Christian faith, the other whom I have much respect for as the sister, sister-in-law, and granddaughter of Navy men and women and for his brilliant work and incredible bravery and courage in the Senate to stop Congress from repealing the Affordable Care Act.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm so, so grateful for all the love you guys have been showing this fic. I'm so glad that so many people are invested in this story. And for those of you who couldn't finish reading due to the triggering content, I appreciate you reading for as long as you could. These next few chapters are going to be pretty intense. Now, we're quite a ways off from their being a reunion, we are going to see how things come together. Basically, it's gonna be a slow burn. I've got a couple of ideas up my sleeve, but for now, let's just see how Chapter 17 pans out.**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **Xx**

* * *

Her heart is pounding; she can literally hear it in her ears.

Everyone knows, well, everyone that is except Derek and Addison. She's quickly pulling Loren, Dr. Bailey, Izzie, and Arizona into the conference room. She pulls the blinds and allows herself a moment to breathe. This is scary; her hands are shaking, and Meredith Grey is never one to shake.

"Grey, I know how hard this must be for you-" Dr. Bailey is trying to be kind because once this comes out she already knows the outcome. Derek will choose Addison, again. There's just no way he's going to stay with her when he's got his child, the child that's been missing for nearly two years. He and Addison were good together at some point, at least, good enough to have had a child together. Dr. Bailey is giving her pity, and the last thing she needs is pity.

"Jane Doe? She's Derek and Addison's child," It comes out in a quick breath; her chest is still slightly heaving. The weight of her confession is heavier than she thought.

"I'm sorry, but are you kidding me? There's no way Derek and Addison have a child together," Arizona still doesn't believe it. She's standing in the middle of the room shaking her head back and forth. Izzie is staring at her, giving her that same pitiful glance Dr. Bailey did when she led them to the conference room.

"It's true; Dr. Robbins; Derek and Addison had a child,"

"No, because if they did they would-"

"She went missing; that's why they never talk about her. She went missing just before Derek came to Seattle. Someone broke into their home and took their kid. Her name's Abigail," Arizona stares at her long and hard, before looking over at Loren.

"Did you know about this, that Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Montgomery-"

"No, I had no clue, but when Meredith started asking questions about Jane Doe I figured she knew something,"

Arizona looks over at Dr. Bailey who sighs heavily.

"And I'm going to assume the whole time you've known-"

"Nobody here put two and two together about Jane Doe before this moment. I stumbled upon this, revelation thanks to Mark Sloan," Arizona scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised he's involved in this?"

"Mark Sloan may be a lot of things, but he loved that girl," Dr. Bailey defends.

"Sure he did, he loved her enough to make sure that she has no family to come home to,"

"Derek and Addison's marriage was broken long before Mark," She doesn't know why she finds herself defending him, defending any of them but, she does.

"I didn't get that from Mark either; I got that from Derek. Derek catching them was a culmination of things that stemmed from their daughter being missing," Arizona lets out a frustrated sigh.

"So when Sloan walked into the room-"

"He knew; it's why he went to get the chief," Dr. Bailey says quietly; Arizona is still pacing, she hasn't stopped since they stepped foot into the conference room.

"And you sent those detectives away to what, protect her?"

"I sent those detectives away because one, sitting in that room was a scared little girl with no memory of what happened to her who's been through hell. I also sent them away because as a doctor on this case-"

"She is my patient; you're here on a consult. You don't get to make big decisions here Dr. Bailey,"

"With all due respect Dr. Robbins, she's more of my patient than anything due to her injuries. She's your patient because she's a minor. You need other departments like Neuro, and General, and Plastics, and Ortho to keep this little girl alive. I made a judgment call because the last thing Derek Shepherd and Addison Montgomery need is to be blindsided by something that might not even be true. Right now, this is all a theory, a haunch. We don't need to go giving police names of two very well known surgeons who are already reliving a painful experience without at least trying to prepare them," Arizona stares at Dr. Bailey long and hard before looking over at Loren and Meredith.

"Fine; where's Sloan?"

"He went to meet the chief,"

"When the chief gets here, I'm calling the police,"

oOoOo

Mark has never been more nervous about riding in an elevator up to PEDs in his entire life. He's not comfortable with it, being near children. PED's is probably more annoying and depressing than Obstetrics. The elevator dings and the doors open; Mark immediately goes into autopilot as he leads the chief and Mrs. Webber down the hall to room 3409. He's surprised to find that Detective Smoots and Detective Anderson are gone. He also finds that the hall is void of any nurses, residents, or attendings.

"Who gave the VIP order?" The chief is looking at the women standing outside of Jane Doe's door; Arizona, Meredith, Izzie Stevens, Loren, and Dr. Bailey, though one glance and he already knows who did it.

"Chief-" Dr. Bailey immediately steps forward.

"I take it you know too? About-"

"Sloan let it slip by accident but, Addison told me about her," There's a look exchanged between the two of them. She knows how close the Chief is to Addison and Derek.

"Who else knows?" Meredith hesitantly steps forward, surprising the chief but not Mark.

"Meredith-"

"Addison accidentally let it slip and then I overheard Derek and Mark arguing about it and-" The Chief holds up a hand and sighs.

"You three, not a word about what you're about to see to anyone. What happens next doesn't leave this floor, is that understood?" He glances over at Loren, Izzie, and Arizona.

"Chief, we need to inform the cops about-"

"Robbins, the child in this room may very well be the daughter of two of my top surgeons in this hospital. Two surgeons who haven't seen their child in nearly two years, a child who has been through hell from what I'm told. Would you want to find out from the police that your child has been right under your nose the entire time?"

"No, but-"

"Robbins, I know you wanna go about this the right way, but in a case like this, there is no right way to handle it. We'll tell the police, first thing in the morning…after we make sure there's no reason to get Derek and Addison upset about anything," The chief glances back at Mark who is muttering under his breath.

"Sloan, what is it?"

"Addison; her plane is scheduled to land in fifteen minutes," The chief's eyebrows raise to his hairline.

"What the hell do you mean her plane's scheduled to land in fifteen minutes? Addison's in LA!"

"She was; Detective Anderson called her, said he needed to speak with her,"

"What the hell would he-"

"They think she has a connection to Jane Doe or the perp; they found…they found a newspaper on the kid; Addison was on the front page," The entire room goes silent at the thought that this child could have possibly been looking for her parents all along, and would have found them if it weren't for the sick sons of bitches who put her here in the first place.

"Go to the airport, but Sloan?" Mark is already headed towards the elevators when he turns around to face the chief.

"I know, bring her here," The chief shakes his head.

"No, take her to her hotel room; tell her the detectives will talk to her tomorrow afternoon,"

"What about Derek?" The chief looks to Arizona.

"Have you paged him about this case yet?"

"No; Dr. Bailey and I were able to relieve the pressure on her brain during surgery,"

"So, Shepherd's never laid eyes on this child?" Arizona shakes her head.

"Good; let's keep that way for now," The chief looks over at Meredith and sighs.

"Meredith, I'm taking you off the case; with you being so close to Shepherd, I can't-"

"All due respect chief, if you take me off the case he'll know something's up. You put me on the case to make sure he and Mark didn't kill each other," Meredith stands her ground; she will not be treated like a shrinking violet, she won't dammit.

"Grey, you're asking to stay on a case where your boyfriend might find out that his missing daughter's alive. Do you understand what's about to happen?" Meredith takes a deep breath and nods.

"Yes; but right now, he's not my boyfriend. I mean he is but, I know how to separate the two,"

"Meredith, how do you think he's gonna feel when he learns that you knew about this and didn't tell him?"

"He's right Mere; think about this," Izzie leans in and whispers quietly in her ear.

"I'm staying on the case," The Chief shakes his head and sighs.

"Fine; but Grey? I expect you to-"

"Lie to my boyfriend? Sure; wouldn't be the first time we've kept secrets from each other,"

 _Chapter 18 to follow…_

* * *

 **Yes it's short and yes I'm such a tease but I'm going somewhere with this, I promise! I told you guys it's a slow burn, but it's gonna be so worth it. Also, I'm carefully placing some mistrust there. Who do you think will spill the beans first, Meredith or Arizona? I'm not telling you who, because right now I don't know who, or if anyone will tell them. Also, did you catch the bitterness at the end from Meredith? Yeah, just because she didn't freak out about Derek keeping Abigail a secret from him doesn't mean she's not pissed and it doesn't mean that that won't come up later in conversation. I literally wrote this chapter in less than 25 minutes and I didn't have anything plotted out. But I do hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **See you in Chapter 18!**

 **Xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated. So much has happened since our last update. Strangely, the day updated Chapter 17 I was involved in a car accident. I'm not sure if I mentioned it but, shortly before my accident, my father was in a very serious accident at work. Plus, my work life has been picked up significantly…basically, I'm tired as hell. I just haven't had the time to do well…anything besides eat, sleep, and shower. I promise to try and do better about updating. As a gift, I give you all the long-awaited Chapter 18, which I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Xx**

* * *

Jane Doe is awake.

Her memory is still fuzzy, but at least her head doesn't hurt anymore. She slowly reaches up and touches her throat; it doesn't hurt anymore either. She glances around the room; she notices that she's in a different room than she was before; though this time she's alone. Instinctively, she pulls the thin blanket closer, up to her neck. She bites at her lower lip; tears are welling up in her eyes. She's alone and scared; that's normal, but what isn't normal is what she manages to see outside. The blinds to her room are slightly open; she can see a group of people, doctors she presumes. They're talking, more than likely about her; she doesn't like it when adults talk about her.

The last time a group of adults stood outside of a room talking about her, bad things happened. Her heart is pounding; she needs to get out of here, she won't let them take her again. Quietly, she pulls the sheet down and tries to move her legs. They feel heavy, like lead mixed with Jell-O. It takes several moments but she sits up and places her legs over the side of the bed. She scoots to the edge when she notices that she's hooked up to all of these funny machines. They look familiar as if this has happened to her before. She looks down at her hand; there's clear tape over a needle that's stuck in her arm. She vaguely remembers a voice, a very distinct voice. She knows what this is; she can hear someone explaining what the needle in her arm does.

 _It's called an IV; that needle goes into your arm._

 _Does it hurt?_

 _No; it's a tiny little prick; the needle sends medicine into your body._

 _Oh, what's the tape for?_

 _The tape is to make sure curious little patients like you don't pull it out._

She's just about to pull the needle out of her arm, someone's voice causes her head to snap toward the door.

"Jane? What are you doing?" It's Lorie, the doctor she met before.

She tries to talk, but she can't; that stupid tube is in her throat again. Lorie seems to know what's up and quickly moves to sit beside her.

"Okay Jane, when I count to three, I want you to take a deep breath and let it out. One…two…three, good job," She hates the stupid tube; it makes her gag and cough. Again, Lorie seems to know exactly what she needs and hands her a cup with a straw.

"Slow sips honey," She tries to sip, but the water feels good going down her throat. She ends up taking large gulps. Lorie doesn't seem to mind, she's smiling at her.

"That good huh?" Jane nods her head quickly. Lorie has _no idea_ how good it feels to have water. She hasn't had water in a very long time; before her accident, she didn't get to drink much of anything. Water for Jane is like a godsend. She lets out a long, happy sigh once she's done and hands the cup back to Lorie.

"Where were you going, Jane?" Lorie looks at her curiously.

"Home," She smiles a bit; her voice no longer sounds like she's got a frog stuck in it.

"My throat, it doesn't hurt anymore,"

"I bet it doesn't,"

"How come it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"You had something called tonsillitis,"

"What's that?"

"It's when your tonsils get infected and need surgery,"

"Oh…"

"Mmhm; how's your head feel?" Loren is grabbing the clipboard located near the bed.

"Are you reading my charts?" Loren's head snaps up in Jane's direction; she looks really surprised that she knows what she's doing.

"How, how do you know what charts are Jane?" Jane simply smiles and shrugs her shoulders.

"I dunno, I just do,"

"You never did answer my question,"

"What question?" Her face is scrunched in an adorable pout; Lorie simply smiles at her as she moves closer to the bed.

"Where's home?" Lorie is sitting beside her; for some reason, she trusts her. She lets Lorie put the tape back on her arm and help her back into bed.

"I don't know, but this isn't home, it's a hospital," Lorie smiles softly at her.

"You're right, it is a hospital; do you know what hospital?" Little Jane Doe shakes her head.

"You're at Seattle Grace Hospital; do you know where Seattle is?" Jane frowns, vaguely remembering a conversation about this place.

"Emerald City…isn't that where Dorothy lives?" Lorie chuckles lightly.

"No, Dorothy lives in Kansas, but Seattle is called the Emerald City though, good try,"

"Oh…"

"Why were you trying to leave, Jane?" She sighs heavily, pulling the blankets closer to her.

"I don't like it when grownups talk about me, bad things happen when grownups talk about me,"

"Where were you going?" Jane shrugs her shoulders slowly; Loren finds this to be adorable.

"I dunno, away from here," Loren recalls Jane trying to remove her IV.

"Jane, do you know what this is?" The girl nods slowly.

"It's an IV; that needle goes in your arm to give you medicine,"

"Wow. You're a smart girl; did your mom teach you that?"

"I don't have a mom," Jane sighs heavily, keeping her eyes on the blanket.

"Sure you do, everyone has a mom," Jane turns her back towards Lorie.

"My mom doesn't love me," Loren reaches out and gently places a hand on Jane's shoulder.

"I'm sure she does; I'll bet you she's looking for you right now," Jane shakes her head.

"She probably thinks I'm dead; that's what happens when you go missing for a long time; people think you're dead,"

SeaTac Airport

This is _not_ how she expected her vacation to go.

Somehow, she's back in Seattle 48 hours after boarding a plane in an even worse mood than when she left. All she wants to do is go talk to the police and go back to her hotel room. She's glancing around baggage claim, hoping that Mark is there. But ten minutes after she's grabbed her bag he isn't there. Addison sighs heavily, runs a hand through her hair; this night could not get any worse. Just as she's about to whip out her cell phone and give Mark a piece of her mind, she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"Jesus Christ Mark!" Addison whips around, hand on her heart; he'd scared the hell out of her.

"Sorry," Mark grins sheepishly before offering to take her bag.

"You're late; you're never late picking me up from the airport," they're casually making their way through the airport. It's fairly busy, but not the usual daily rush of people; a slow meandering if you will.

"Got caught at the hospital," Mark's voice is gruff and he looks…like he's guilty.

"Alright, what's going on?" Addison slows them to a stop, turning to look at him.

"Nothing; I ran into Detective Anderson and Smoots tonight,"

"Oh?"

"Yeah; they said don't bother coming in until tomorrow afternoon," Addison lets out a growl of frustration.

"When he called me, he said I needed to come in ASAP and now he's-"

"Jane Doe's awake, Addison,"

 _Chapter 19 to follow…_

* * *

 **Oh, Mark, you just couldn't keep that secret, could you?**

 **Things are gonna get interesting in the next few chapters. I know this was short, but I'm going somewhere with this, okay? Also, did anyone else notice how Jane Doe is starting to regain some of her memories? I think you guys are gonna enjoy how this story ends. If things go according to plan, I should have the next chapter up soon!**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **Xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Let's pick up right where we left off, shall we?**

* * *

It's a slip of the tongue; she wasn't supposed to know, but now she does.

 _Jane Doe's awake, Addison_.

Addison turns and stares at him strangely; why is Jane Doe being awake so important, especially to Mark?

"Since when are you so suddenly interested in the Jane Doe case?"

"Since detectives Smoots and Anderson have been questioning me about it," Addison shakes her head slowly; she's still not convinced that Mark isn't hiding something.

"Yeah, I still don't get how you're mixed up in all of this," They've started walking again, are slowly making their way through the airport and out to Mark's car.

"They're interviewing all the doctors who were on call that night as well as the doctors on Jane Doe's case,"

"Speaking of the case…what should I know Mark, going into this?" Mark's heart starts to pound, rapidly, as if it's going to jump out of his chest.

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean you've obviously worked on her, how bad is she?"

"She's…." He hesitates because the last thing he wants to do is tell her that this could very well be her kid (he knows it is, is almost 100 percent sure of it).

"Mark, how bad is it?"

"It's, it's bad Addison; she's awake, still no signs of remembering who she is," Addison sighs heavily and shakes her head.

"I'm starting to think I should've stayed in LA…except for the fact that Amy's there," Mark's eyes widen in surprise.

"Amelia's in LA?"

"Yeah, and working with Ginsburg, can you believe it?" Mark doesn't miss the way Addison's attitude changes when talking about Amelia.

"Based on your body language, I'm assuming you two spoke,"

"I ran into her…where she's taken up refuge at Sam and Naomi's practice,"

"I thought-"

"Okay, so she doesn't work at the practice but…she finished school did you know that?"

"No, I haven't talked to her since-"

"Since Abigail went missing," Addison sighs heavily; acknowledging her missing daughter has yet to get easier.

"I didn't even know she was in school,"

"I did, but no one expected her to finish; surprisingly she did,"

"Yeah; Amy's a doctor?" Mark can't quite wrap his head around it.

"She is,"

"How come we never-"

"She used to call me and then one day she just…stopped. She said was doing a residency at Hopkins and then all of a sudden decided to take Ginsburg up on a fellowship offer," Addison snorts at the idea of it all.

"You of all people should be happy; you always believed in Amy when none of the rest of us did,"

"It's not that I'm not happy for her she just…disappeared. She suddenly moved to Boston and then cut all ties with me,"

"That had to hurt," Mark wraps an arm around her shoulder as they step out into the Seattle rain.

"It did, and Naomi knew she was there and didn't say anything!" Mark listens attentively before taking her bags and placing them into the trunk.

"How'd that make you feel?" They've buckled their seatbelts and soon enough, Mark is pulling out of his parking space, headed out of the airport.

"She could've at least gave me a heads up," Addison mutters; she turns and looks out at the sky.

She needs change in her life, fast.

oOoOo

Loren walks out of Jane Doe's room with a sigh as everyone looks at her expectantly.

"She was trying to run away again," Arizona frowns.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, adults standing outside talking about her in private freaks her out," Dr. Bailey shook her head and sighed.

"That poor girl,"

"She'd managed to sit up in bed, get her legs over the side. She was trying to remove her IV when I walked in,"

"You get her to open up any?" The chief asks.

"Sort of; she said her mom thinks she's dead,"

"Why would her mother think she was missing?" Arizona is staunchly against how they're going about things, but she's suddenly interested in what Jane Doe had to say.

"She said, 'that's what happens when you go missing for a long time'"

"So this is definitely a missing child case; did she say anything else?" The chief wants this case solved as quickly as possible; he also wants to rule out the possibility of Derek and Addison being her parents.

"What memories she had are sparse; she knew how IV's work and she could tell that I was reading her charts," Arizona rolls her eyes.

"That could mean anything, it doesn't mean Derek and Addison are her parents," Loren sighs heavily.

"I never said that it did Dr. Robbins,"

"So why did we send the police away?"

"Because I want to know more before I start letting the police question Derek and Addison. Their daughter's case was…it was hard on them. They'd been having problems before that but, losing Abby it, it sent their marriage even further downhill. It's why I took Addison off the case the first time. I don't wanna put her or Derek through something like that again, not without knowing for sure,"

"We're essentially obstructing justice; you do get that, right?"

"So what do suppose we do Robbins?"

"Simple, bring Addison to the hospital; Mark's gone to pick her up from the airport. Why not bring her here and let her see Jane Doe for herself?"

The room goes silent at that question.

"Because I know Addison; one look at that little girl and she'll believe it's Abigail, even if it's not, and that wouldn't be good, for any of us,"

"So let me get this straight, you don't want to bring Addison here, but you don't want us to inform the police that their Jane Doe case could very well have solved itself?"

"Robbins-"

"DNA; we could do a DNA test," Meredith suggests, causing the chief to stare at her strangely.

"Grey…"

"Not Addison, Derek," Dr. Bailey's eyes widen.

"Meredith-"

"If we test Addison, she'll know something's up but Derek? He won't suspect it," This time, it's Izzie's turn to stare at Meredith strangely.

"Mere, how are you-"

"Hair sample; Loren can easily get us a piece of Jane Doe's hair, and I could-"

"No," The chief's voice is firm when he speaks.

"Chief-"

"No Grey; I don't wanna deceive Shepherd like that and, that's risky for you. What if it is his daughter? How does that affect your relationship?"

"With all due respect Chief, I made my choice when I decided to stay on this case," The chief shakes his head.

"I'm sorry Grey, but I can't let you do that; in fact, I shouldn't have put you on the case to begin with,"

"Then I'll take myself off the case," Dr. Bailey frowns.

"Grey-"

"Chief, I'm requesting to be taken off the case due to conflict of interest with the newfound information," The chief closes his eyes and sighs heavily but agrees.

"What are you gonna tell Shepherd?"

"I'll think of something," With that, Meredith turns and walks away.

"This is absolutely ridiculous; Grey's off the case, now what?" Arizona asked.

"Sloan isn't scheduled to bring Addison to the hospital until tomorrow afternoon. That should buy us some time to try and figure something out," Arizona shakes her head, completely furious at the situation.

"So until then…"

"I don't know Robbins! There's a lot at stake here; this case affects all of us, but at the center of it all is a scared little girl. There is no right way to handle this, because in the end, someone gets hurt. Now, what we're all going to do is try and get some rest. Rodriguez, I want you to keep an eye on Jane Doe for tonight, can you do that?" Loren nods resolutely.

"Good, the rest of you, go home for the night; I want you all here an hour before rounds, is that understood?" Everyone nods before going their separate ways.

"Rodriguez!" The chief motions towards Loren after everyone else heads towards the elevators.

"You've been on this case since the beginning, right?"

"Yes, sir,"

"I want you to keep your eyes on Grey; I have a feeling she's going to do something very stupid," Loren nods.

"For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing, not telling the police right off," The chief studies the new intern long and hard.

"You were Ingles resident before, right?"

"I was," the chief smiles.

"Looks like I did the right thing by assigning you to Dr. Bailey," Loren blushes slightly before muttering a quiet 'thanks'.

"Chief…I believe it, that she's Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Montgomery's kid," The chief tilts his head to the side and sighs.

"I was afraid you'd say that,"

"I don't have proof but…I can just, I feel it, sir,"

"The police aren't gonna listen to what you feel, they're gonna need proof,"

"I'll see what I can pull out of her tonight,"

"Do your best Rodriguez; there are lives depending on it,"

 _Chapter 20 to follow…_

* * *

 **I tried my best to push out the next chapter pretty quick. My work week wasn't as stressful as the last few weeks have been. Thank you all so much for your reviews! They really meant a lot to me; I'm so glad you guys are still reading! I'm excited to see what you all thought of this chapter and what I've got planned for the next chapter. I'm leaving little clues and hints about certain things. I'm also being vague as possible, because I don't want the story to be predictable, but I also don't want to drag it out either. I'm hoping to have this story wrapped up by at least Chapter 25. Fingers crossed that we're done by then!**

 **See you in Chapter 20!**

 **Xx**


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